Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - If you made it down to Rochester’s SocialICE event last week, you were part of history.

Rochester Downtown Alliance says this year’s attendance was the largest ever, surpassing 50,000 for the first time.

RDA estimates the three-day downtown event attracted 51,500. That’s up from last year’s estimated crowd of 40,000. The previous record was 46,000 in 2016.

And all those people who braved the cold weather this year weren’t afraid to spend some money. RDA estimates the economic impact at just over $1.8-million, also a record. The estimate in 2016 and 2017 was put at around $1.3-million.

Also of note:

RDA says results of this year’s survey of those who attended found 87% said attending the SocialICE event motivated them to seek out more Downtown activities during the winter months. In addition, nearly 75% felt more connected to the community after attending. And 76% said they now view Rochester as a more innovative place after attending SocialICE.

“SocialICE 2018 confirmed that there is a strong desire to enjoy the outdoors during the winter,” says Jenna Bowman, RDA Executive Director. “It was seen through the record-setting attendance, as well as the post-event survey data. SocialICE provides residents and visitors the opportunity to collectively experience something that has been uniquely Rochester for the past decade.”

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