Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
Country: China
When: 5th January- 29th February 2017 (You need to check your dates before going)
The Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is a fascinating spectacle of design, creativity and fun. You will see massive ice castles, life size sculptures of people, iconic man-made and natural landmarks, ice inspired monuments, palaces, mazes and snow portraits. The ice lanterns are particularly beautiful and certainly set this festival apart from other snow and ice festivals.
It is very much an international affair with artists from all over world participating. The artwork is wide ranging, featuring modern and classic styles including pop culture as well as cheesy imitations.
The Festival started in 1963 and now attracts over a couple of million people. It coincides with the Heilongjiang International Ski Festival, creating a wonderful opportunity for travellers interested in winter sports during their visit to this Chinese province.
Remember to rug up and keep warm as the temperature us generally somewhere between -20 to -30 degrees!
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To beat the crowds consider visiting the Festival just after Christmas when it unofficially opens. 90% of the sculptures are completed and the crowds are smaller.
Festival Videos
Key highlights
- Ice & Snow World – especially the illuminated sculptures at night.
- Snow Sculpture Art Expo located on Sun Island.
- Enjoy a quick drink at any of the Ice bars on the streets of Harbin.
- Winter sports in abundance – winter swimming, alpine skiing, sledging, just to name a few.
- The stunning Ice Lantern Exhibition in the Zhaolin Garden.
- Walking along the Songhua River showcases a great selection of the Ice and Snow Festival.
Where is it
Harbin is the capital city in the Heilongjiang province in northeast China.
How to get there
Harbin is 1,200km from Beijing, driving is not advisable unless you are doing a major road trip and stopping off regularly. The icy conditions for driving also make it a little tricky.
You can fly into Harbin Taiping International Airport from a few Asian locations such as South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. You can also get direct flights from both Russia and USA (Los Angeles).
Domestic flights are common from most large Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Harbin Taiping Airport is 45mins from Harbin city centre. Taxi cost will around 100 to 120 Chinese Yuan.
Domestic flights are common from most large Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Travelling by train from Beijing will take over 13 hours and cost approximately $200-300 US. In China you can get a direct train to Harbin (and other locations in China) called the Z trains. Sleeper trains are an excellent way to travel the vast distance.
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Make sure you get a ‘soft’ sleeper train, its is very comfortable with good beds. A ‘hard’ sleeper ticket is not very comfortable at all – cattle class and it actually means you could be sharing with cattle, no joke!
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Try travelling to the Ice and Snow Festival from Vladivostok in Russia. It has a direct train line into Harbin’s train station and takes 12 hours. Just ensure your passport is fully valid for both countries.
Where to stay
There are a number of options for staying in Harbin ranging from luxury hotels to hostels and Chinese bathhouses.
Bathhouses have large rooms with comfortable bedding for people with 24-hour only stopovers. You can store your luggage in lockers provided, but there is not an enormous amount of space. Staying in this style of accommodation will feel like being in a massive dormitory with over 80 beds in each room.
There is plenty of space available in city hostels or hotels during the Festival and shuttle buses running to Ice & Snow World and Snow Sculpture Art Expo enable easy access.
Taxis are cheap and quite simple to organise so choosing a hotel or hostel within or outside of the city centre does not present much of an issue.
Useful Information
More information on Harbin Ice and Snow festival:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/heilongjiang/harbin/
http://www.harbinice.com/fact-v38-the-32th-harbin-ice-and-snow-festival-2016.html (table of events and dates)