The World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships return to Lake Placid Oct. 8-12. (Provided photo — Olympic Regional Development Authority)

LAKE PLACID — The World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships will return to the Olympic Center in Lake Placid for the third consecutive year next week, Oct. 8-12. The event will include art exhibitions as well as team and individual competitions and more. All skating performances and art exhibits are free and open to the public.

The international skating event blends the sport of figures and fancy skating with fine art — including performance, decorative and recording arts — to offer a unique combination of a world-class skating competition and cultural celebration with a festival atmosphere. The not-for-profit World Figure Sport Society was founded in 2015. At the same time, the first-ever World Figure Championship on black ice was held at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid. WFSS’s Skating Hall of Fame was also launched that same year, with Dick Button, who famously trained in Lake Placid under coach Gustave Lussi, among many skating legends, attending the induction ceremony. This is the third year WFSS is bringing the World Championship event back to Lake Placid, establishing the Olympic Village as the event’s home.

“Lake Placid is the home of the Miracle on Ice and home to this new miracle on ice, which is our worldwide cultural, art, sport and goodwill movement,” Olympic skater and WFSS President Karen Courtland Kelly said. “Our stage is a crystalline stage, one on which skating artists from across the globe come to create beauty together, inspiring the world through fine arts, performing arts, and decorative and recording arts.”

Kelly defines the World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships as both a fine art festival and a skating competition in one.

“This is an event unlike any other because it elevates and unites skating and art in unprecedented ways,” she said. “It’s the only place one can see competitors blend modern skating techniques with the historic art of fancy figures as they etch patterns on the black ice with their skate blades, just as an artist would do with a pencil or brush.”

Kelly also notes that World Figure Sport welcomes skaters of all ages and all abilities, creating an environment in which she says, “anyone can learn to combine the art of skating with art and strive to become a virtuoso and champion.”

In addition to the competition on black ice, the event also includes these features:

¯ WFSS’s Brushes to Blades of Steel pop-up museum — open 9 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. and free to the public throughout the five-day event. The exhibit celebrates the history and contemporary artistry of figure and fancy skating, particularly the specialized “Black Ice” skating art form.

¯ Competitor practice sessions and the filming of competitors and their work on black ice.

¯ Skating experiences on black ice with private lessons and workshops for all ages and levels. Coaching and ice fees apply.

¯ Second Round Worlds Creative Artworks begin on Saturday at 2 p.m. with Fancy Skating Finals from 7 to 9 pm.

¯ Inclusive skating is available for all ages and levels, and anyone with any type of disability, including wheelchairs, may take part.

¯ World Junior Figure and Fancy Skating Championships (through age 21) are on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., culminating in a Juniors Red Carpet Award Ceremony.

¯ The International Open for Adults is also on Sunday afternoon.

¯ The finale is the Crystal Skating Ball party on Sunday, beginning at 7 p.m.

New this year are two important program additions:

¯ A Team Fancy Skating Championship with teams of two to 16 participants performing in harmony on black ice. This competition takes place on Sunday, with organizers expecting new choreography set to music to produce new visual effects on the ice.

¯ An art contest and gallery featuring submissions related to the following types of art: classical skating, contemporary skating, classical any genre and any contemporary genre. Artists working in all mediums are encouraged to submit their works prior to the event. Visit this World Figure Sport web page for details on how to submit works of art: https://worldfiguresport.org/gallery-contest/.

Skating legends from the past and performing artists from the present all come together at these Championships for an experience that fuses the historic and contemporary, paving the way for present-day audiences the world over to enjoy figures and fancy skating.

“The event is a unifying force that brings skaters and artists together in a celebration of culture, art and sport,” Kelly said. “The World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships strives to raise awareness and understanding of the art of skating while also supporting the development of skating artists of all ages and all levels.”

Spectator admission to the competition is free of charge, with the exception of the Black Ice Experiences with officials and champions. These are arranged onsite in the 1932 Rink, as well as private skating lessons and workshops on black ice. More event information is available on theLake Placid Olympic Center website.

Details on all event happenings are availableon the WFSS website. Even though tickets are free for spectators, attendees should confirm their tickets in advance. Donations are accepted at the door and online at the World Figure Sport website to support the work of the not-for-profit WFSS, including this annual event and skating scholarships.