7 December — the Ice Harvest Festival
The traditional opening of the season on the Songhua River: the first block of ice brought out of the frozen river, with intangible-heritage performances. A daytime, outdoor event.
Our adventures / Skiing / Season board / Harbin ice city
The ice-city window.
A city cut from the frozen Songhua River, lit from inside, rebuilt from nothing every winter and gone again by spring. For 2026–27 the 28th Ice and Snow World was announced for mid-December — here is how to plan the window, and the weeks to think twice about.
Explore the guide ↓Harbin · Heilongjiang · winter 2026 – 2027
- The park
- 28th edition
- The festival
- 5 Jan 2027
- The cold
- −20 to −30°C
- The rule
- Weather decides
Two months, rebuilt every year.
At the city's winter press conference on 10 November 2026, Harbin announced an ice-and-snow season running from November 2026 to March 2027, with more than a hundred themed activities and ten featured winter routes. The centrepiece is the 28th Harbin Ice and Snow World, scheduled to open in mid-December at around 1.25 million square metres — described by the city as the largest edition to date — with a first Disney Frozen-themed ice zone of roughly 20,000 m², close to a hundred ice slides and a 120-metre snowflake ferris wheel.
The wider calendar staggers itself. The seventh Ice Harvest Festival on the Songhua River was set for 7 December; the 39th Sun Island Snow Sculpture Art Expo and the ninth Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival open through the season; the 53rd Zhaolin Park ice lantern garden was announced for 30 December with free entry; the 42nd Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival was listed by festival guides for 5 January 2027 — a date to be confirmed by the organisers. The park normally closes in late February when rising temperatures take the sculptures — the exact day is announced only weeks ahead.
Two practical details shape a visit more than the dates. It is genuinely cold, commonly −20 to −30°C inside the park, and colder than the street; and the most popular attractions — the big slides, the ferris wheel, the stage shows — are allocated through the park's own app after you have entered, not booked in advance. Arriving before the lights come on and sorting the app first matters more than arriving at the ticket window early. There is no paid fast-track; any offer of one is a scam. Ticket prices, session rules and the exact opening day should all be confirmed against official notices for your dates.
The 2026–27 winter calendar.
Announced dates and windows. All remain subject to weather and organiser confirmation.
Mid-December — Ice and Snow World opens
The 28th edition, around 1.25 million m². River ice cut into castle-scale structures lit from inside. The park exists for roughly two months.
30 December — Zhaolin Park ice lanterns
The 53rd ice lantern garden party, announced as free admission. Smaller and more local than the main park, and easier to fit into an evening.
5 January 2027 — the festival opens
The 42nd Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival opening ceremony, with guest-country and guest-province ice architecture and international ice-carving competitions in the park.
Through the season — Sun Island and the river
The 39th Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, the ninth Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival with sixty-plus activities, and a cultural season of exhibitions and performances across the city.
Late February — the park closes
Ice structures melt as temperatures rise. There is no fixed closing date in advance; the city announces it with a few weeks' notice.
What makes the evening work.
The unglamorous details that decide whether the ice city is a highlight or an ordeal.
Dress for −25°C
Insulated boots well below the forecast, layered merino, windproof shell, warmers for hands and feet, and a face covering. The park is colder than the street, and the waits are stationary.
Arrive in the afternoon
Go in before the lights come on, allocate the popular attractions in the app first, and stay for the illumination. Allow roughly four hours.
Peak weeks
The festival opening in early January and the Spring Festival period are the busiest and most expensive weeks. Hotels, park tickets and guides all tighten; book well ahead or choose mid-December or February.
Getting there and paying
Metro line 2 reaches the park entrance. The park tickets separately from the city's other ice venues; bring a UnionPay-compatible card or cash for deposits and small purchases.
Make a winter journey of it
The ice city is one evening. Yabuli, Snow Town, the Jilin rime dawn and the old city turn it into a week — with warm interiors built into every day. See the Heilongjiang winter guide.
The journeys that use this window.
Both keep the outdoor hours short and the evenings warm.
The Harbin ice festival short break
The ice city at its peak: Ice and Snow World, Sun Island, the old town and an optional first-turns morning.
The northeast snow journey
Harbin, two ski days at Yabuli, the Snow Town night and the Jilin rime dawn.
Harbin in winter
Layering, short outdoor windows and why the indoor evenings are part of the design.
The ice festival
A longer read on the ice city and what a winter evening there is actually like.
Plan the window.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will confirm the current park status, place the ice-city evening and build the rest of the winter week around the cold.
Start my journey brief ↗