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Harbin downtown, Heilongjiang Province, China
Best & the most popular winter destination in China. Ski & snowboarding,ice & snow sculpture, everything here will ensure you a white Christmas and great winter adventure!
Winter is coming! Prefer a white Christmas? Searching popular winter destinations in China? Join in the Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in Harbin China, you will have an extremely great winter adventure this year! Here in this article, we have detailed information in every way regarding to this fascinating Harbin Ice and Snow Festival for your white Christmas adventure!
Together with Japan Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada Quebec Winter Carnival and Norway Holmenkollen Ski Festival, Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival is one of the world's top four ice & snow festivals. It is the most popular and visited winter destination in China and it attracts thousands of tourists joining this amazing winter wonderland both home and aboard every year. The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is the first international festival in China's history and the longest ice and snow festival in the world.
It is a beautiful competitive event. Each year excellent sculpture artist teams coming from Russia, Japan, Canada, South Africa, France and other countries display their astounding sized art work at Ice & Snow World , Sun Island , Stalin Park, Zhaolin park in Harbin. During the nights of the festival, lights from inside and outside of the sculptures brilliantly illuminate a variety of architectural styles and fireworks light up the sky while the dazzling multicolored ice sculptures light up the entire ground. The whole scene unfolds you a fantastic white Christmas winter wonderland!
Apart from the fantastic night show, there are many activities in day time like winter ski & snowboard sport in Yabuli ski resort, Swimming in the Songua River, ice-lantern exhibition in Zhaolin park, ice golf and ice archery… you can never miss home during this month-long ice & snow white Christmas winter wonderland in Harbin!
Harbin Exhibition and Sports Center: Annual opening ceremony with splendid firework display;
Harbin Songhua River: Winter Disney World——Ice and Snow World builds along the Songhua River, winter swimming, ice hockey, dog sledding, snow football, ice & snow carnival etc;
Ice & Snow World: International Ice Sculpture Exhibition;
Stalin Park: International Ice Sculptures Exhibition;
Sun Island: International Snow Sculptures Exhibition;
Zhaolin Park: Ice Lanterns Garden Party;
The Central Avenue: Exotic oriental Moscow Avenue;
Yabuli Skiing Resort: Alpine skiing & snowboarding etc;
Snow Town: Dreamlike worlds with snowy mountains, local traditional wooden houses, villages etc, tranquil paradise compared to rest of snowy world;
Chagan Lake: centuries-old traditional winter fishing.
(Based on previous Ice & Snow Festival Events in history, not guaranteed for this year)
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival was called and originated from local Harbin traditional ice lantern show garden party in winter. It was first organized in 1963 and was a winter party attended mainly by locals at the time.
Later in 1983, Harbin city governors got a festival sponsor idea when they led Hong Kong officials to the ice lantern show and earned praise. In 1985, they held a grand ceremony at Zhaolin Park for the Festival and since then Harbin Ice & Snow festival became an annual event lasting for a month.
In 2001, Harbin Ice Festival was merged with Heilongjiang International Ski Festival and became the current Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.
Each year it has a theme, previous themes includes Beijing Olympics, the Great Wall, Pyramids and terra cotta warriors, etc. This year’s theme still remains as a big surprise!
The grand ceremony of the international Harbin ice and snow festival officially starts on January 5 every year. Together with other winter activities, the whole festival will last for one month. But many exhibitions of the event often open earlier and run later if the weather cooperates. If you have plenty time, the best time to go there will be during 15th Dec. to Feb.
►Open Time & Tickets Fares for Ice and Snow World Exhibition this year
【Chinese Name】: 冰雪大世界
【Soft-opening Time】：Estimated soft-opening time this year will be 22th Dec to 31th Dec
【Business Hours】: 16:00 to 22:00 on the first soft-opening day. 11:00 to 22:00 for the rest days.
【Soft-opening Tickets Fare】: Soft-opening day: 330 yuan. Discounted Tickets: 200 yuan.
【Formal Open Time】: 1th Jan every year
【Business Hours】: 11：00 to 22:00 every day.
【Tickets Fare】: 330 yuan. 200 yuan for discounted tickets
【Address】: Ice and Snow World site on Sun Island, Harbin, China.(opposite west to the Sun Island Park)
Attention:
►Open Time & Tickets Fares for Sun Island Snow Exhibition this year
【Chinese Name】:太阳岛雪博展
【Estimated Open Time this year】: 20th Dec to 1st Jan
【Business hours】：8:00 to 20:00 every day
【Tickets Fare】: 240 yuan P.P for adults. Half priced tickets: 120 yuan for children under 3.9 inches.
【Address】: Sun Island site No.3 Jingbei Road, Sun Island, Harbin, China. (Opposite east to the ice and snow world)
Highlights of Harbin Snow Exhibition：
►Open Time & Tickets Fares for Zhaolin Park this year
【Chinese Name】:兆麟公园
【Estimated Open Time this year】: From Jan 5
【Business hours】：8:00 to 20:00 every day
【Tickets Fare】: During festivals 150 yuan P.P for adults. Free: for children under 3.9 inches.
【Address】: No. 74 Youyi Road, Daoli District, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Learn more of how to get & detailed information about Zhaolin park please transfer to the page Zhaolin Park.
►How to Get to Harbin
Harbin Taiping International Airport has 75 air routes & flights to over thirty large cities including Beijing, Tianjing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qingdao, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Dalian, Xi'an and Hong Kong. There are also scheduled international flights between Harbin and USA, Russia, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.
Apart from Shenyang, Harbin is the second largest railway terminal hub in Northeast China. Harbin also has a high-speed rail line linking Dalian. Getting in Harbin via railways is very convenient as well.
►Get around Ice & Snow Festivals venues
Tourist bus special line: 9:00-22:00 every day, started at Youyi Road. The terminal stop is Ice and Snow World.
If you are located near central avenue: take No.29, No.88 or No.118 bus at the Suning mall and get off at the ice and snow world stop.
Taking No.552, 213, 119, 80, 211, 212 216, 219,551 and 215 to the Sun Island Crossing to get off.
Taking No.125, 126, and 88 to Ice and Snow World to get off.
Taking No.29 to Shangwu Road.
The best and most recommended way to get to Sun Island is via ferry. The running time of all the ferries via Songhua River is between 08:00 to 17:00 every day. Learn more of ferry schedule please transfer to the page How to get Sun Island Harbin & Ferry schedules of Sun Island
Central Avenue to city centre: around 20 to 30 RMB;
Central Avenue to Ice and Snow World: around 18 RMB;
Harbin Railway Station to Ice and Snow World: around 10km, 20 minutes;
Harbin West Railway Station to Ice and Snow World: around 13km, 25 minutes;
Harbin Taiping international airport to Ice and Snow World: around 38km, 40 minutes.
Great Ideas for comprehensive itineraries & travel tips for Harbin Ice& Snow Festival
How to Get to Yabuli Ski Resort from Harbin
Where to Ski in Harbin
How to keep warm & what to wear for Harbin winter travel
How to get Sun Island Harbin & Ferry schedules of Sun Island
How to Get to China Snow Town/Village from Harbin, Heilongjiang
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