This year marks the 41st International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in Harbin. The official opening ceremony took place on January 5, and the festival runs through the end of February or early March (depending on when the ice starts melting).The frozen festival spans multiple venues and attracts millions of visitors every year. Despite the cold, it is still one of the most popular winter destinations for domestic and international tourists in China.Image by Yinmai O'Connor/That'sFor many travelers, the International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival will be a once in a lifetime journey, so we want to help make sure you get the most out of your trip.This guide covers the main attractions, as well as some tips to help you prepare for your plunge into this magical – but freakin' cold – realm.
Harbin Ice & Snow World
Image by Yinmai O'Connor/That'sNow in its 26th edition, Harbin Ice and Snow World, also known as Bingxue Big World, has become the most popular winter attraction in the world.Spanning over 750,000 square meters and utilizing more than 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow, this dreamlike theme park is basically the real-life version of Elsa's ice palace.There are colorful illuminated ice and snow replicas of architectural monuments, including the Temple of Heaven and the Taj Mahal, as well as various cultural activities and winter sports – we highly suggest paying the RMB100 fee to feed the reindeer.Image by Yinmai O'Connor/That'sThe dining pavilion has a surprisingly great selection of options with a wide variety of Chinese restaurants, as well as a Pizza Hut, KFC, and Starbucks. It's a great place to go and warm up, but it might be a bit difficult to find a seat.This part of the festival is much more enchanting at night, and if you can handle the cold, the crowd drastically thins out around 6.30pm. You can then enjoy a much shorter wait for attractions such as the 520-meter ice slide and the Ferris wheel.Open 9.30am-9pm *starting February 25th the festival will open at 3pmRMB330/person *package deals and VIP passes available online onlyFree admission for children under 1.2 meters and all tourists 70 years and older with a valid passportSun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo
Image by Yinmai O'Connor/That'sThe 37th Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo features unbelievably massive and beautifully carved snow sculptures. It is home to the Heilongjiang Province Snow Sculpture Competition, China National Snow Sculpture Competition, and International Snow Sculpture Competition.Image by Yinmai O'Connor/That'sArtists from around the world come to carve unique and artistic creations from compacted cubes of snow. There are also ice slides and rides with much shorter lines than you'll find at the Ice and Snow World.Since these sculptures don't last as long as the ones craved out of ice, you will likely get to witness the creation of new installations during your visit.Image by Yinmai O'Connor/That'sThis is a daytime destination that you can hit up in the morning before you go over to the main attraction. You might want to bring some sunglasses – the pure white snow sculptures can be rather blinding. RMB198/person; RMB128/child Sun Island No. 3 Sun Avenue, Songbei District, Harbin
Zhaolin Park
Image by Yinmai O'Connor/That'sZhaolin Park is hosting its 51st Ice Lantern Art Fair, which is a cute ice world geared more towards children. The ice lantern sculptures featured there are mostly made by college students or young ice sculpture enthusiasts. However, there are still some beautiful creations worth viewing.Image by Yinmai O'Connor/That'sThere are small ice slides and winter activities for kids to enjoy, as well as un-carved ice blocks used for family competitions.We recommend checking this part of the festival out after dark when the lanterns are illuminated.Open 9am-9pm
Free entry
Pro Tips
How to avoid the crowds
The Internaltional Snow Sculture Expo is spread out enough to keep it from ever feeling too crowded, but the Snow and Ice World is the most popular part of the festival and can get quite crammed.We advise entering before 2pm or after 7pm to avoid the masses and score more romantic shots of the winter wonderland.However, tickets are single entry passes, so you won't be able to leave in the afternoon and come back in the evening without buying another ticket.Chinese New Year (January 28 – February 3) will be by far the most crowded time to visit. In addition, hotel and ticket prices surge – so you'll definitely want to avoid this period if possible.Bring lots of heat packs
There are a variety of different shapes and sizes available that are specialized to fit in your gloves, shoes, and jackets – we suggest buying a few of each kind to last you throughout the day. The heat packs can also seem to have lost their warmth, but if you take a break and go inside one of the indoor pavilions, you'll find that both you and your toasty little helpers can regain some of their strength.We also suggest sticking one in the pocket you keep your phone in. You'll want to take lots of pictures and the cold quickly drains your battery.Bring a thermos
Any warm drink you purchase will almost immediately cool down in the frosty weather, so having something to keep your drink hot while you explore is a huge plus – not to mention the fact that liquids kept in any other type of bottle will start forming ice crystals after even a short period outside.Security doesn't take away liquids at the entrance, so you can bring in your own tea or other warming liquids (if you know what we mean) as long as they are not in glass containers.How to dress
Dressing warm is key if you want to enjoy your time in Harbin. Temperatures can plummet as low as -35℃, but you can expect temperatures between -15℃ and -25℃ during the hours the festival is open.We suggest you come prepared with fur-lined shoes, earmuffs, lined gloves, sweaters, several layers of socks, padded pants, a down jacket, hat, scarf, balaclava, and a thick mask.You'll want to wear warm layers you can remove, because you don't want to sweat and get your inner layers moist when you go inside to take a break from the cold. Transportation
You can get to Sun Island by taxi or public buses No. 29, 54, 85, 88 and 346. To get to the Harbin Ice and Snow World, you can take buses No. 552, 551, 346, 219, 216, 212, 211, 85 or 54, and get off at the Sun Island Road junction. Then, you will have to walk several minutes to get to the entrance gate – we suggest taking a taxi or Didi to save time and precious body heat.The most convenient way to get between the two main attractions is Harbin Subway Line 2 – Sun Island Station, which is one stop away from the Ice and Snow World Station.How to do it all in one day
Start at the International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival – you can pretty much see it all in three hours. Then take Line 2 one stop to the Ice and Snow World Station. We suggest getting to see both it during the day and after sunset, which is around 4.30pm.Once you have had your fill you can take Line 2 two stops to People's Square Station. Then, transfer to Line 3 and ride it two stops to Zhaolin Park Station. You can then leisurely stroll and enjoy the lanterns until they start playing Kenny G to let you know it's time to go back to your hotel and take a hot shower.
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