International Ice Festival

If you’re a lover of cold and art, Distrita brings you a very good travel option, to make you more pleasure in what you love to do, stay cold!

Harbin is the capital city of the Heilongjiang Province which is the most north-easterly part of China and borders Russia. During the long cold winter months the temperature can drop down to as low as -22°F (-30°C). Snow carvings, ice lanterns, fireworks display and snow recreations make Harbin one of China’s most popular winter destinations. Skiing and ice sliding are popular activities. More amazing is winter swimming in the Songhua River, not for the faint of heart.

Harbin International Ice Festival is one of world’s four largest international ice festivals, along with Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada’s Quebec Winter Carnival, and Norway’s Ski Festival. It starts annually on January 5 and lasts usually to the end of February, weather permitting. During this period, people throughout the world take part in the various artist, cultural, athletic and tourist events. The 29th Harbin Ice and Snow Festival will start on January 5, 2013. It is a great winter festival and if you are in China during this period, it really should not be missed.
Harbin’s ingenious residents hollowed out blocks of ice to use as lanterns, inadvertently starting a tradition that grew into an art form. In the past 25 years, the Harbin Ice Lantern Festival has become an annual cultural event with many international teams participating.

Their ice creations dazzle and impress in their sheer scale and intricacy in bright daylight but present an even more breathtaking sight at night. Neon lights strung in and around the sculptures turn Zhaolin Park into a surreal crystalline fairyland.