The coolest festival in the world

China’s Harbin Ice Festival, in its 31^st year, promises towering snow sculptures featuring mythic figures, a temporary city of famous buildings rendered in ice (which have included the tallest ice sculpture in China, at 46 metres) as well as intricate ice-art lit with multi-coloured LED lights, that wow around a million guests each year from throughout the world.

Over 10,000 ice carvers use 150,000 square metres of snow and 180,000 square metres of ice from the nearby Songhua River to create this magical world each year. The festival opens with a dramatic fireworks display on January 5^th and, depending on how long the cold temperatures hold out, can last until March. However, pickaxe-wielding visitors have, in recent years, been invited to smash the works themselves at the end of February.

Snow and ice sculptures illuminated at night at the Ice Lantern Festival, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China

Harbin Ice Festival

The city of Harbin in northern China is known for its harsh winters. But the town makes a feature of the cold climate with its annual International Ice and Snow Festival, which opened last week. Reconstructions of famous buildings, fantastical castles and sculptures are created from ice blocks from the nearby Songhua river, and lit with colourful lights, tempting thousands of visitors to brave its freezing temperatures.

Ice buildings lit at night (Tony Waltham/Robert Harding)

12 of the best snowscapes

This week I scoured our picture archive for the best desolate, snowy landscapes. Here’s what I found.

Aurora borealis, Kautokeino, Lapland, Northern Norway (LOOK/Robert Harding)

Europe’s best Christmas markets

What better than the twinkling lights and delicious treats of a Christmas market to stoke up the festive spirit? While many of the largest and most celebrated Christkindlmarkts are in Germany (the inventors of Christmas trees), Prague, Vienna, Brussels and Basel’s city squares also offer quintessential seasonal fairs, packed with hot drink sellers, craft stalls and traditional delicacies. Over the past few years German-style Christmas traditions have also spread across the UK, with Birmingham’s festive market now larger than Berlin’s, while London, Belfast and Nottingham are following suit.

Christmas Market and City Hall at night, Hamburg, Germany (age fotostock/Robert Harding)