Where does the world’s largest snow and ice festival take place?
Several countries across the world host their own and unique snow and ice festivals, especially the Nordic countries of Europe. But there’s nothing more grand and more breath-taking than the one that happens every year in Harbin, China. Now in its 39th year, the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival attracts more than 18 million visitors. This is the initiative of the Chinese government to boost their winter tourism. In fact, it is the largest snow and ice festival in the world. Keep reading to know more.
Origin of the festival
The Harbin region of China has long been hosting a traditional ice lantern show and garden party every winter since the Qing dynasty. But during its 1963 edition, locals suggested to the government to turn it into something bigger. As a result, Harbin Snow and Ice Festival was born. However, it was interrupted during the Cultural Revolution in China until it was resumed in 1985. Since then, every year, from 5th January to 25th February, this festival takes place in Harbin’s Zhaolin Park.
In 2001, however, the Harbin Snow and Ice Festival was merged with Heilongjiang’s International Ski Festival and was given a brand-new name: The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. Now, the annual winter festival takes place with a unique theme specific to that year. Till last year, entry fees were 45 dollars per head.
Attractions of the festival
As you may have already guessed, the major part of the festival involves making ice sculptures of various sizes. All participants need to do is get blocks of ice from the nearby frozen river Songhua and dedicate all their artistry to making life-like ice statues. In fact, there are two main exhibition areas: The Sun Island and the Ice and Snow World. The first one is a recreational indoor museum-like area on the opposite side of Songhua River and features an expo of giant snow sculptures from the past years. The second one is an 80-hectare wide open area displaying full size buildings made from 2 to 3 inches thick blocks of ice. The structures are often illuminated at night creating a jaw-dropping scenery. Interestingly, unlike the Sun Island, here, the entire area is rebuilt every year with newly designed ice buildings.
Besides building ice sculptures, people can also practise skiing (Yabuli Alpine skiing), ice skating, ice soccer, swimming in the frozen Songhua River and riding bicycles.
Snapshots from the yesteryears
To encourage you further to put Harbin International Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival in your travel bucket list, we have here some of the most popular sights from the previous years. In 2007, in memory of Canadian doctor Norman Bethune who served the soldiers of the Chinese Communist Party during the Second Sino-Japanese War, a Canadian themed ice sculpture was made featuring the Niagara Falls and Bering Strait. It was 250 metres long, 8.5 metres high and required 13000 cubic meters of snow. It earned the tag of world’s largest snow sculpture and even secured a place for it in the Guinness Book of World Records. Similarly, in 2019, 100 global landmarks were picked by lottery and their ice sculptures were made by hundreds of artists who arrived from 20 nations. Last year, the highlights were a crystal palace inspired by the Disney film Frozen alongside a snow model of China’s first aircraft carrier.