Harbin is a city in Northeastern China with a population of over 5 million people. While it’s a popular travel destination for tourists all year round, things really get busy in Winter. This is the time of Harbin Ice and Snow festival, which usually attracts millions of visitors.
Thousands of workers and artists prepare for many weeks in bitterly cold conditions, before the festival usually opens in early January. Most of the festivities focus around a few designated theme parks, but there are activities all over the city.
I traveled to the Harbin ice festival in January 2019, and spent several days exploring the city and the theme parks. While the day time was already spectacular, the evenings became almost magical when most of the sculptures were lit up with beautiful neon lights. The freezing temperatures seemed challenging, but actually only added to the atmosphere.
Copyright of all footage: Hoffer Media
