Junior Maya Smith said she attended Luminary Loppet multiple times in the past and remembers the lights across Lake of the Isles.

“(The Luminary Loppet) was really pretty and they light up the lakes really nicely for the event,” Smith said.

Marketing and communications manager of the City of Lakes Loppet Amy Oberbroeckling said the event extends over three days and provides a range of winter activities.

“The Loppet is February third through fifth and throughout the weekend there is everything from skate racing, classic racing, fat biking, snowshoeing, skijoring and there are also activities for kids,” Oberbroeckling said.

Oberbroeckling said skijoring provides an interesting event for spectators at the Loppet.

“(Skijoring is) with the dogs pulling the skiers on the lake. It’s really fun to see all of the dogs excited to start and they are just so happy and adorable,” Oberbroeckling said. “That’s something not a lot of people have seen.”

Smith said, attending this winter event allows students to enjoy it with friends and family.

“You can go with your friends and walk around. You can see a lot of cool things like ice castles. There are a lot of skiers out and it’s a nice community event,” Smith said.

According to Oberbroeckling, the event started out as only a ski race and grew into a community occasion with a variety of events for Minnesotans to enjoy.

“(The City of Lakes Loppet) started to grow and it became more popular, it grew into all of these other different events,” Oberbroeckling said. “It’s become a way for people to get outside in the winter and embrace it and do the true Minnesotan thing, get bundled up, get outdoors and have fun.”

The City of Lakes Loppet takes place Feb. 3-5, with the first event beginning at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 on Lake Calhoun. For more information on the times and locations of various events, visit www.loppet.org.