Behind the Scenes of Drake’s Ice Sculpture

After Drake’s enormous ice sculpture appeared in a parking lot in downtown Toronto, many people wondered: ‘How did 3,500 blocks of ice make it there?’

As it turns out, about 20 truckloads of ice blocks were supplied by a family-owned company in Huron County, roughly 50 kilometres north of London, Ont.

“It’s such a big activation and such a cool statement surrounding the release of a very anticipated album,” said Heidi Bayley, president of Iceculture Inc., on CBC’s Afternoon Drive. “He is a big deal.”

This clever marketing stunt from global hip-hop star Drake was part of the buzz for his forthcoming album, Iceman. The installation drew crowds of fans who used blow torches, sledgehammers, and pickaxes to uncover the hidden launch date inside the ice: May 15.

Torontonians gather around a massive ice installation in a downtown Toronto parking lot at 81 Bond Street on April 21, 2026. (Oksana Shtohryn/CBC)

Iceculture Inc. operates out of Hensall – a small community with around 1,100 residents located in farming territory.

“I think Iceculture has a reputation for handling large projects and having plenty of ice available,” Bayley noted while highlighting their experience with creating massive ice sculptures shipped globally. “We are set up for those type of big projects.”

Bayley mentioned that her father started the family business back in 1991 making basic ice blocks and punch bowls but expanded into larger events and production over time.

Ice blocks each weigh 300 lb.

The individual ice blocks weighed approximately 300 lb., and had consistent dimensions: 50 centimetres by 101 centimetres by 25 centimetres. Each block was loaded onto trucks separately from their facility in Hensall and assembled in Toronto to create the final structure.

This isn’t your average freezer ice. It’s “crystal clear” – specifically crafted for carving or sculpting – produced through directional freezing methods, she explained.

An ice sculpture installed to promote a Drake album release is melted by Toronto firefighters on April 22, 2026 after the ice pile was deemed a public hazard. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

“By freezing it from the bottom up, air gets pushed out which keeps it crystal clear. It also makes it quite strong,” Bayley said.

“It’s really the clarity that creates the magic of it. You could use cloudy ice instead; however, that would melt quicker and might not have as much wow factor.”

Iceculture received their order for the project through traditional means – they got a phone call from Mawg Design, a marketing firm they collaborate with regularly.

There’s sort of a very captivating aesthetic to our ice blocks. It’s why ice sculptures are so popular a medium for expressing almost anything – including album releases.- Heidi Bayley, President of Iceculture Inc.

The vision behind this installation came from Drake’s team while Mawg designed its structure and Iceculture provided all the necessary ice.

“There’s sort of a very captivating aesthetic to our ice blocks. It’s why ice sculptures are so popular as an expressive medium for almost anything – including album releases,” Bayley stated.

The company has worked on various projects ranging from creating icy lounges in locations like Thailand and Greece to building an operable icy truck for Canadian Tire to advertise cold weather batteries; she said they utilize chainsaws, chisels, CNC machines, and bandsaws to craft their sculptures.

Iceculture Inc. created an ice truck for Canadian Tire. (Iceculture/Instagram)

Seeing Drake’s massive sculpture dismantled sooner than expected felt disappointing to Bayley.

Fire crews were called on Tuesday evening to spray warm water over the blocks due to safety concerns under fire safety regulations.

Eventually an industrial cleaning company took over removing what remained.
LISTEN | Meet the ice company behind Drake’s ice sculpture:

Heidi Bayley is based out of London and owns Iceculture Inc. in Hensall which created Drakes huge sculpture seen in Toronto earlier this week.”I can tell you it was hard watching it melt away. I’m usedto seeingice disappear. I’ve been doing thisfor alongtime butthis one seemed too soonandwasdifficultto witness going.” She shared with Afternoon Drive. p”Still looking ahead Bayley expresses hopefor potential opportunities down theroad./