Valdez, Alaska. It's a bit away from the main airports of Anchorage and Fairbanks. Flights while available to Valdez from Anchorage are not always reliable. Driving from Anchorage is typically around 5.5-6 hours while driving from Fairbanks is usaually 6-7 hours. While it sounds like a long time in the car, it's a beautiful drive and well worth the time.
While visiting Valdez in winter there are a number of places to stay including the Totem Hotel, Best Western, and usually Mountain View, as well as other lodging and BnB's.
For places to eat Safeway is good for general food and snacks, The Prospector has a number to outdoors grub you may be familiar with, and restraunts include The Fat Mermaid, Wheelhouse, Old Town, Stampmill, FuKung and Mikes Palace.
Another more in-depth resource is the Visit Valdez website.
The hub of activity for this year's ice festival will be the Prince William Sound College Campus, right in the center of town. Evening events will be hosted at various venues around Valdez, so be sure to check the schedule. Rental and demo gear is limited at the festival, so please plan accordingly and find some gear before you come down. If you are passing through Anchorage, Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking has a great selection of rental gear and will give you a sweet weekend rental deal for ice fest. Alaska Guide Co., located in Valdez, also has rental climbing gear. If you plan on using them please call ahead to ensure your size is available. Petzl will have a selection of demo gear available as well.
There will be no transportation to and from the Canyon provided for the festival this year. We highly encourage you to make some friends and carpool out, as parking in the canyon is limited.