The UK’s Christmas displays have been left out in the cold in comparison to China’s new exhibition of mammoth ice sculptures and snow palaces. Breathtaking images show the Chinese ice festival in freezing -25C , which has consumed more than 300,000 cubic metres of ice and snow to become the world’s largest frozen theme park.
Image Credit: Metro [HARBIN, CHINA - DECEMBER 19: The construction of the Ice and Snow World has been completed and will soon be open to tourists on December 19,2024 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. The 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World will officially open on December 20, 2024. (Photo by Weitao Tian/Getty Images)]
The Harbin Ice and Snow World festival, based in Heilongjiang, China, opened on December 21 to thousands of tourists and will be open for public viewing until late February 2025. The festival boasts a real-life version of Elsa’s ice palace from the movie Frozen, as well as 24 ice super slides each 521 meters (1,709 feet) in length.
Image Credit: Metro [HARBIN, CHINA - DECEMBER 21: Aerial view of tourists visiting the 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World on December 21, 2024 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province of China. The world's largest ice-and-snow theme park, the 26th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, officially opened at 10 a.m. on December 21 in Harbin, the capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo by Su Yunpeng/VCG via Getty Images)]
The ‘ice Disneyland’ is in its 26th year and recreates landmarks from over 42 countries. For those seeking a chillier experience, one area of the park allows swimmers to dive into a hole in the frozen-solid Songhua River. Authorities have issued frostbite and cold warnings to visitors, who will be unaccustomed to the -25C temperatures, even advising that people wear ski boots to the festival.
Image Credit: Metro [Mandatory Credit: Photo by Xinhua/Shutterstock (15025926i) Tourists visit the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Dec. 21, 2024. The world's largest ice-and-snow theme park, the 26th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, officially opened at 10 a.m. in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province also known as the "city of ice." Themed "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia," the park was built using 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow, incorporating elements inspired by the upcoming 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, which will open next February, right after China's Spring Festival holiday. It is also the first major international ice and snow event hosted by China since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. With an overall planned area of 1 million square meters, up from last year's 800,000 square meters, the park is the largest in its 26-year history. China Heilongjiang Harbin Ice Snow World Open - 21 Dec 2024]
Tourists have also been told to wear sunglasses or snow glasses to prevent snow blindness. The ice sculptures, all 300,000 cubic metres of them, are constructed by thousands of workers over three to four weeks, who cut and collect ice blocks from the Songhua River.
Image Credit: Metro [HARBIN, CHINA - DECEMBER 17: A performance is staged during the launching ceremony of the giant snowman wearing a red scarf at Harbin Music Park on December 17, 2024 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province of China. An old friend to Harbin, a giant snowman kept its annual rendezvous with local residents to make its first appearance of this winter at a park in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. (Photo by Zhao Yuhang/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)]
![[HARBIN, CHINA - DECEMBER 19: The construction of the Ice and Snow World has been completed and will soon be open to tourists on December 19,2024 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. The 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World will officially open on December 20, 2024. (Photo by Weitao Tian/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233749702-cbd5.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
![[HARBIN, CHINA - DECEMBER 21: Aerial view of tourists visiting the 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World on December 21, 2024 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province of China. The world's largest ice-and-snow theme park, the 26th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, officially opened at 10 a.m. on December 21 in Harbin, the capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo by Su Yunpeng/VCG via Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234010126-4c22.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
![[HARBIN, CHINA - DECEMBER 17: A performance is staged during the launching ceremony of the giant snowman wearing a red scarf at Harbin Music Park on December 17, 2024 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province of China. An old friend to Harbin, a giant snowman kept its annual rendezvous with local residents to make its first appearance of this winter at a park in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. (Photo by Zhao Yuhang/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233547188-147f.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
