AUBURN – This year’s Winter Festival will have something past festivals have lacked.

Snow.

“That’s the major thing this year,” said Tracey Steuber, Auburn’s community relations manager. “We have lots of snow, plenty of it, and all of Lost Valley’s trails are open.”

This will be the city’s seventh annual winter festival. Last year’s event was postponed for a week because of lack of snow. Organizers struggled with dry, powdery snow the year before.

“We’ve had snow already, and they’re calling for more on Friday,” she said. “If that happens and the temperature goes up a little, we’ll be in great shape.”

The weekend festival is scheduled to kick off Friday around the city. Activities includes movies, hay wagon rides, races and parades at a variety of venues: the Hilton Garden Inn, Lost Valley Ski Area, Central Maine Community College and Ingersoll Ice Arena.

CMCC will host a snow playground, a snow-sculpting competition and an indoor carnival all day Saturday and Sunday. There will also be free cross-country skiing and snowshoeing lessons and sleigh rides.

The festival’s signature race, the Really Ridiculous Relay, will be back again this year at 11 a.m. Saturday at Lost Valley. Six-person teams compete in three heats – the human dog-sled pull, uphill snowshoe and downhill canoe. Winners receive free Lost Valley lift tickets.

Kids follow at 1 p.m. Saturday with a sled obstacle course. Racers navigate a slalom course, a limbo obstacle and a pyramid of haystacks. Shovel races are scheduled for 2 p.m. on the Bull Moose ski run.

Special events continue at 9 a.m. Sunday with a mountain bike race, followed by the avalanche of mountain bikes at 11 a.m. Skiers take the slopes at noon for a freestyle demo and the Maine Ski Challenge races.

Gritty McDuff’s will get into the spirit, selling a specially brewed “Auburn Winter Festival Ale” at its Main Street brew pub.

“It’ll only be available until they run out,” Steuber said.

Auburn Winter Festival schedule

Friday, Feb. 2

Lost Valley, beginning at 5 p.m.: $10 lift tickets, $10 rentals; hay wagon rides; kiddie sledding; bonfire with free s’mores and cocoa; live music with Nick Knowlton’s Music Connection and the Dirty McCurdy Band.

Hilton Garden Inn, 6 p.m. Ice Gala and Charity Auction, semi-formal dinner and dance with the Tony Boffa Band. Auction benefits the Children’s Recreation Scholarship Fund.

Central Maine Community College, Women’s basketball vs. Hampshire College, 6 p.m. Men’s basketball versus Hampshire College, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3

Lost Valley events

11 a.m.: Really Ridiculous Relay Race, $20 per six-person team

1 p.m.: Children’s sled obstacle, Bunny Hill, $5 entry fee

2 p.m.: Shovel races on Bull Moose, $5 entry fee; bring your own shovel

4-9 p.m.: Family ski night, $5 tickets, $10 rentals (while supplies last)

5-8 p.m.: Free hay wagon rides, bonfire and kiddie sledding

6 p.m.: The magic of Bob Nixon

7 p.m.-closing: Dirty McCurdy Band, classic rock in the Brookside Lounge (21 and over)

8:30 p.m.: Maineiac Musical Chairs and Avalanche of Snowballs

9 p.m.: Torchlight parade

CMCC events

10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Snow playground for kids of all ages

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Children’s indoor carnival

10 a.m.: Frozen Film Festival featuring “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown,” Kirk Hall.

10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Ice sculpture demonstration

12-3 p.m.: Free sleigh rides

1 p.m.: Frozen Film Festival featuring “Eight Below,” Kirk Hall.

1-4 p.m.: Free snowshoe lessons for all ages, every half hour (limited loaner equipment available)

3-4 p.m.: Nordic ski lessons for grades K-8 (limited loaner equipment available)

Sunday, Feb. 4

Lost Valley events

All day: Ski and ride special, $10 lift ticket, $10 rentals

8:30-10 a.m.: Snowmobile breakfast

9 a.m.: Downhill mountain bike race on Big Buck

11 a.m.: Avalanche of mountain bikes

12-2 p.m.: Board and ski freestyle demonstration

12-5 p.m.: Slope-side barbecue

1-3 p.m.: Maine Ski Challenge Race

CMCC events

10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Snow playground for kids of all ages

10 a.m.: Snowshoe races registration

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Children’s Indoor Carnival

12 p.m.: Snowshoe races begin

12-1 p.m.: Free snowshoe lessons for all ages, every half hour (limited loaner equipment available)

12-3 p.m.: Free sleigh rides

4-6 p.m.: Public skating at Ingersoll Arena in Pettengill Park (adults, $3; students, $2)