Open from January 5th to February 20th, the Harbin Festival is the world's biggest ice and snow sculpture festival theme park that features winter activities, snow, and ice/snow sculptures.
This winter festival is one that began in 1963 and has continued to be an annual festivity in the Heilongjiang Province of China. You have the option to fly directly to Harbin or fly into other cities like Beijing or Changchun to Harbin.
Known as the most popular park of the four, this is where you can experience a real-life world of Frozen. Massive dreamlike castles and kingdom-like structures can be found everywhere. It almost seems like they're fake but we can guarantee you that these are very much real! These ice sculptures are lit with colorful lights that give off a Disneyland like feel but with snow and ice.
At the Wanda Ice Lantern World, you will find beautifully designed lanterns but this park holds the most entrainment for everyone. It is comprised of sing, dancing, and acrobatic performances along with restaurants that serve several different cuisines. Dragon boat rowing, ice bowling, and snow football are just a few of the unique carnival activities they offer that are unlike any other parks.
Known as the birthplace and leader of snow sculpture art, this park is filled with intricate and unique snow sculptures that capture various cultural themes. The expo coordinates with some other countries like Japan, Italy, and Russia to bring a different cultural theme every year. It is artistic, grand, and absolutely beautiful.
Lastly, Zhaolin Park’s main attraction is focused on and surrounded with ice lanterns. It is a take on garden art that captures a very traditional style of China and the people. It ranges from classic buildings to ancient legends lit up with magical colorful lights that give you a feel of the Chinese culture in ice form!
It was inspired by traditional ice lanterns back in 1985 that were carved and lit up at night for fishermen to see the front gates.
600,000 square meters. That’s 10 times bigger than a football field! With about 10 to 15 million visitors annually.
It is open from Janurary 5th to Febraury 20th. Avoid Chinese New Years as that is when it's the busiest time.
Today, the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival celebrates their 36th year and is recognized as one of the best and biggest winter festivals in the world. Plan your trip to China now!