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Organizers say the experiment failed because there were not enough activities to fill out a nine-day schedule, leaving some festivalgoers confused and disappointed.

The prime attraction will remain a national snow-sculpting competition, in a festival expected this winter to attract more than 10,000 people a day between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2.

VISIT Lake Geneva president Stephanie Klett said the previous nine-day schedule resulted in “off days” when there were few activities, and some visitors were left to wonder, “Where’s Winterfest?”

By reverting to the original five-day structure, Klett said, “We know that we have five days that will be extraordinary.”

In addition to the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Championship, this year’s event will include a familiar assortment of live music, restaurant specials, kids’ activities and other attractions.

The festival last winter drew about 55,000 people, and organizers this year are hoping to reach 60,000 people.

Tammie Carstensen, chairwoman of the Lake Geneva Tourism Commission, said she agrees that the attempt at extending Winterfest to two weekends did not work as well as intended.

“Some ideas stick, and some just go away,” she said.

Starting in the mid-1990s, Winterfest was designed to build upon the snow-sculpting competition that takes place on the Lake Geneva lakefront every winter.

Local restaurants, taverns and other venues combined forces to create a festival atmosphere that took over much of the city’s lakefront and downtown.

The festival began on a Wednesday at the start of the snow-sculpting competition, and continued until Sunday, the day after the snow-sculpting winners were announced.

In 2014, the festival was expanded to nine days in an effort to draw bigger crowds. Organizers reached out to include such venues as the Geneva Lake Museum and Horticultural Hall.

Last winter’s festival began Jan. 26, four days before the snow-sculpting teams got to work.

VISIT Lake Geneva officials say the problem was two-fold: Visitors were disappointed to find no snow-sculpting underway on those days, and not enough other activities were available to create a festival atmosphere.

Deanna Goodwin, marketing director of the regional tourism agency, said there were days when only one activity was on the festival schedule.

“One event or one activity does not a festival make,” Goodwin said.

In restructuring and reverting to the five-day format, officials are working to pull in any activities that might get displaced, including the Human Dog Sled Races that took place last year at the Grand Geneva Resort in the town of Lyons.

Goodwin said the dog sled races will be incorporated into this year’s festival.

“We want to do it, and we will do it,” she said. “It’s just a matter of where.”

VISIT Lake Geneva also has enlisted a familiar name to manage Winterfest.

Bethany Souza, formerly of the Baker House hotel and restaurant in Lake Geneva, has signed on as an independent contractor to replace Shawni Mutter, who stepped down recently as the tourism agency’s event manager.

Souza said she agrees with returning Winterfest to its five-day format, and she looks forward to working with VISIT Lake Geneva’s team to present an improved festival.

“We’re going back to the way it works,” she said. “If it works, don’t change it.”

Organizers are hinting that this Winterfest will include some new extras, too, possibly including a new feature on the Sunday closing day.

Another objective in condensing to a five-day event is to get away from promotions that had nothing to do with winter and were just businesses offering their standard products and services.

VISIT Lake Geneva officials said this year’s event is being organized to keep the focus on winter themes and activities directly tied to Winterfest.

“We just have to be true to what the event is,” Goodwin said. “This is really about a winter festival.”