Every winter, countless travelers hurry to the city of Harbin in Northern China and brave freezing cold temperatures in order to observe over 2,000 enormous frozen duplicates of historic structures, partake in a frozen lake swimming contest, and ascend ice palaces. To quote a visitor, it’s like “Winter Disneyland.” On January 5th, Harbin hosts one of the biggest winter celebrations globally, known as the Harbin Ice Festival. The two-month event, which includes four theme parks, spans a remarkable area of 750,000 square meters. It is considered one of the premier snow and ice festivals in the world, along with Sapporo’s Snow Festival, Norway’s Ski Festival, and Quebec’s City Carnival. To find out about the dates and activities of the Harbin Ice Festival, continue reading.
Harbin Ice Festival 2023
The Harbin Ice Festival 2023 commenced with a fireworks display on the opening day, which was January 5th. Like every year, the event consisted of four theme parks: Harbin Ice and Snow World, Harbin Wanda Ice Lantern World, Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, and Zhaolin Park Ice Lantern Fair. The Harbin Ice Festival 2023 showcased impressive duplicates of renowned landmarks such as the Colosseum in Rome and the Athenian Acropolis. The price of admission tickets was raised to INR 3381/-. After sundown, the ice sculptures were illuminated in a variety of vibrant colors, including neon green and pink. A total of 34 artist teams from 16 different countries enthusiastically participated in a 3-day sculpting competition. Inside the Harbin Ice and Snow festival, you will also find several restaurants with an icy theme.
Harbin Ice And Snow Festival: Top 5 Highlights
One of the major highlights of the festival is a swimming competition. Despite the winter temperatures in China dropping to as low as -1 degree Celsius, individuals plunge into the river. Continue reading to discover the top 5 highlights of this event.
1. Harbin: Marvel at thousands of snowmen
More than 2023 snow sculptures were placed on exhibition on the frozen Songhua river at the Harbin Ice and Snow festival this year. The snow sculptures sport flags from various nations. The snow sculptures are enormous in size. There are a limited number of snow sculptures at the event that can surpass these snow sculptures in terms of size. You can take a leisurely walk amidst these snow sculptures or take photos with the one carrying the flag of your country.
2. Harbin: Ride an ice bicycle
Tourists can ride ice bicycles in the Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo. The primary snow sculpture on display is positioned at a height of 108 feet. If riding an ice bicycle doesn’t suit your preferences, you can partake in other activities such as fishing, skiing, ice-sailing, ice hockey, ice football, painting, calligraphy, dance performance, and speed skating.
3. Harbin: Get married
The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival hosts a mass wedding ceremony every year. This year, 47 couples tied the knot. The marriage ceremony takes place in a colossal snow castle constructed for the occasion. If getting married in a snow castle has been your childhood dream, relive it by heading to the event with your partner and getting married.
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