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Photos: Mass snow wedding and crystal towers at China’s ice fest
In China, this year's Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in the province of Heilongjiang required 170,000 cubic metres (six million cubic feet) of ice harvested from the Songhua River by more than 100 workers. The annual ice festival in Harbin has kicked off with couples lining up for a snow-themed mass wedding, swimmers braving frigid waters and frozen palaces rising from the ground. The festival has drawn millions of visitors from around the world every year since its inception in the early 1980s.
Updated on: Jan 06, 2020 6:06 PM IST
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Tourists walk in front of an ice sculpture ahead of the opening of the Harbin International Snow and Sculpture Festival in Harbin. China’s annual ice festival in Harbin has kicked off with couples lining up for a snow-themed mass wedding, swimmers braving frigid waters and frozen palaces rising from the ground. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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A worker shovels ice in front of an ice sculpture at the Harbin Ice and Snow World festival in Harbin. This year’s Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in the province of Heilongjiang required 170,000 cubic metres (six million cubic feet) of ice harvested from the Songhua River by more than 100 workers. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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Ice sculptors give finishing touches on an ice sculpture at the Harbin Ice and Snow World festival in Harbin. Fireworks marked the festival’s opening on Sunday night as tourists wandered between colourfully illuminated ice towers and monuments in the northeastern city. Earlier in the day, 43 brides in lace wedding gowns and down jackets waited in line with grooms to take part in a “mass ice and snow wedding”. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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Tourists watch a fireworks display during the China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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A worker walks inside an ice sculpture at the Harbin Ice and Snow World festival in Harbin. The Harbin festival, featuring glittering palaces and fantastical scenes sculpted out of ice, has drawn millions of people over the years to one of China’s coldest cities. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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Couples queue up for a "mass ice and snow wedding" ahead of the opening of the Harbin International Snow and Sculpture Festival in Harbin. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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An aerial view shows ice sculptures illuminated at the Harbin Ice and Snow World festival in Harbin. This year’s festivities will coincide with the city’s first skiing marathon this week, according to the official Xinhua news agency. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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A swimmer participates in the winter swimming competition ahead of the opening of the Harbin International Snow and Sculpture Festival in Harbin. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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Tourists slide on an ice sculpture at the Harbin Ice and Snow World festival in Harbin. The festival has drawn millions of visitors from around the world every year since its inception in the early 1980s. (NOEL Celis/AFP)
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Tourist walk past ice sculpture during the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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Tourist walk past ice sculptures during the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin. (Noel Celis/AFP)
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