Each winter, people from all over Asia take an unexpected turn and migrate North to the city of Harbin. There are very few things that could prompt me to take a vacation further north in the dead of winter. However, I was more than willing to lay my bikini aside and join the migration to Harbin, China, which just so happens to be the host of the largest ice festival in the world.
About the Ice and Snow Festival
Located in the north of China in Heilongjiang Province, temperatures can reach extremely cold levels which makes it ideal for crafting and sculpting works of art in the ice and snow. The festival first started in 1963 with the Ice Lantern Show. Ice lanterns have been used in Harbin for over 200 years and were a practical way to keep the blustering wind from extinguishing a flame. Water was poured into a lantern and frozen, then hollowed out so an oil lamp could fit inside. The fire wouldn’t blow out because it was enclosed in ice and the ice wouldn’t melt because of the frigid temperatures.
Over the years, it has grown to be the most prominent ice and snow festival in the world. Each year, the parks are reinvented with different sculptures by artists creating record-breaking masterpieces from snow and ice blocks that are taken from the river or frozen specially. The theme for the 2015 festival was, “Ice Snow Harbin, Charming China Dream.”
The Ice Festival Theme Parks
The festival consists of four main theme parks: Harbin Ice and Snow World, Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, Harbin Ice Lantern Show and the Songhua River Ice and Snow Happy Valley.
Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo
The snow sculpture art expo is full of probably the most insane snow sculptures you’ll see. The sculptures are best seen during the day as they are large scale, intricate, and the park closes at 6pm. I am so, so bummed that I did not get to this expo. I was in Harbin for a short holiday weekend only and unfortunately did not get to see it. Below is actually the reason why.
Songhua River Ice and Snow Happy Valley
The Songhua River is full of daytime activities on the frozen river. You can ice skate, take the ice slide down to the river, ride a spinning top, tricycles…you name it. When I first got to the river, I thought, eh, probably not for me. But, I decided to walk closer for some pictures and when I did, I noticed something else.
People were on snowboards on the river. As a snowboarder myself, I was highly intrigued. Turns out, it was snow kiting! I had never heard of it before but I met a guy who was giving lessons. So, instead of going to the Snow expo, I took snow kiting lessons instead. Which were awesome.
As night falls, this is the best time to head to the remaining two parks. The ice sculptures are illuminated with bright colors that shine through the ice.
Harbin Ice and Snow World
This park first debuted in 1999. It’s by far the largest of the parks with an expanse of 750,000 sq. meters across Sun Island. It was built to resemble an icy Disney Land and has retained its fairytale-like theme ever since. (Maybe this is where Disney got the idea for Frozen?) Ice castles are sprinkled around the park as are ice and snow sculptures, ice slides and of course hot drink tents for when you feel…well, frozen.
The cost of admission for the Ice and Snow World is ￥300 and on any holiday is ￥330. I decided to take a chance and went during Spring Festival on the night of Chinese New Year. Having traveled during other Chinese holidays, I was prepared for the worst of the crowds. However, most people stay home with family on Chinese New Year. Within an hour, I nearly had the entire park to myself (a rarity in China!).
The festival begins in mid-December and lasts until the end of February. I went in the last week that it was open and while some of the smaller ice sculptures for the competitions were not as intricate as they probably had been a month ago, the park was still intact and had not yet shown any real signs of melting.
Harbin Ice Lantern Show
The Harbin Ice Lantern Show is the oldest of the parks and is a smaller version of the Ice and Snow World. It’s located nearest to the city center in Zhaolin Park and has many interactive ice exhibits.
The Ice Lantern Show was the first park that I went to (being the smaller of the two, I didn’t want to work my way down). Smaller, yes, but it didn’t disappoint! I had just as much fun exploring the exhibits.
The entrance fee for Zhaolin park is around ￥150 and both parks stay open until 9:00pm.
When to Go
The Harbin Ice and Snow festival comes alive each winter when temperatures get low enough. It differs each year as it’s dependent on the weather, but you can expect it to open early to mid December. It lasts throughout the winter though the longer you wait to go, the less intact some of the sculptures might be. Back in 2015 when I went, the festival ended up staying open into February and I was able to go over Chinese New Year.
If you wanted to go for specific events, there are ice and snow competitions towards the start of the festival. Otherwise, you can just go to see the sculptures afterwards in different sections of the parks.
As for weather, it’ll be cold no matter which winter month you choose. It will also likely be busy no matter which month you choose–it’s China after all. I do think that the ice sculptures will be their best towards the beginning of the winter season, but it might also be busier because of that.
Chinese New Year was actually a great time to go, other than it being absolutely frigid. Chinese people usually spend the holiday with their family at home eating and watching special TV shows. Once the sun went down, the festival cleared out and I felt like I had the whole place to myself.
What to Bring
Be prepared to be colder than you’ve ever been before. I could just be dramatic but my body does not handle cold weather well. It’s definitely something to over prepare for. At one point I had to go inside a little drink tent just to get a hot chocolate to get a slight break from the cold. Even then, it was a plastic tent, so not that much warmer.
Packing List:
EVERYTHING WARM:
- Hat and/or ear warmers
- Coat, second coat
- Scarf or neck warmer
- Fleece-lined leggings (to wear under another pair of pants)
- Gloves–that have touch screen capability so you don’t have to take them off to take photos.
- Waterproof boots/shoes.
- Camera/tripod
- Sunscreen for your face during the day
- Sunglasses
Was it cold? Yes. I have never been more frozen in my entire life. But was it worth it? Absolutely! When I first saw pictures of the Harbin Ice and Snow festival, it immediately went on my bucket list. As a solo traveler in China, it was definitely an adventure to get to Harbin. I also traveled during the busiest time of the year in China, which made it that much more of an effort. But it’s been one of the most memorable parts of my travels. The festival is just as magical as it looks in pictures.
PIN IT FOR LATER
These ice sculptures look so beautiful!! I’ve seen some like this when I stayed at the Igloo hotel called Sorrisniva in Norway and it was so amazing!