Ice and Snow Festivals (冰雪节) · 25 events · 13 provinces
Built each winter in the northeast and on the plateau, from carved ice cities to the herding and fishing meets that come with them.
25 of them here, grouped by region. The last column gives the months each one falls in, then the lunar date where there is one. See all five kinds, or the background on festivals.
6 events
North China (华北)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Bird’s Nest Ice and Snow Season (北京鸟巢欢乐冰雪季)The winter season inside the Olympic stadium, which puts snow and ice activities in the middle of the city.Ticketed | Beijing | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival (北京龙庆峡冰灯节)The ice festival in the Longqing gorge, Beijing’s main winter ice event, with sculpture worked against the canyon walls.Ticketed | Beijing | Jan to Feb · (冬季) |
| Chengde Ice and Snow Festival (承德冰雪节)The winter season at the Chengde mountain resort, with the imperial garden under snow and ice games on the lakes.Partly ticketed | Chengde, Hebei | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Chongli Ice and Snow Festival (张家口崇礼冰雪节)The winter season at Chongli, using the 2022 Olympic venues and the ski resorts built around them.Ticketed | Zhangjiakou, Hebei | Nov to Mar · (冬季) |
| Hulunbuir Ice and Snow Naadam (呼伦贝尔冰雪那达慕)The winter Naadam on the Hulunbuir grassland, on Mongol winter custom. The competition events are for local herders; the displays and performances are open to watch.part rite, part public event · Partly ticketed · Partly open · The traditional Naadam competitions are for local herders. The ice and snow displays and performances are open to watch. | Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Jizhou Ice and Snow Festival (天津蓟州冰雪节)The winter season in Jizhou district, around Panshan and the ski areas built near it.Ticketed | Tianjin | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
12 events
Northeast China (东北)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| China Snow Town Ice and Snow Festival (中国雪乡冰雪节)The Shuangfeng forest farm, where snow lies deep and long enough to have made the place a winter destination in its own right.Ticketed | Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang | Nov to Mar · (冬季) |
| Harbin Ice and Snow World (哈尔滨冰雪大世界)Billed as the largest ice and snow park in the world, rebuilt each winter. The 27th edition opened on 17 December 2025 and runs from eleven in the morning to ten at night.Ticketed | Harbin, Heilongjiang | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Mudanjiang Snow Castle (牡丹江雪堡)Large snow buildings and winter activities at Mudanjiang, one of the established Heilongjiang winter events.Ticketed | Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Qiqihar Ice and Snow Festival (齐齐哈尔冰雪节)The winter season at Qiqihar, combining the red-crowned cranes wintering at Zhalong with ice and snow activities.Partly ticketed | Qiqihar, Heilongjiang | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Sun Island Snow Expo (哈尔滨太阳岛雪博会)The snow sculpture exposition on Sun Island, across the river from the ice park, and the older of the two Harbin winter events.Ticketed | Harbin, Heilongjiang | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Changbai Mountain Ice and Snow Festival (长白山冰雪节)The winter season on Changbai: the crater lake under snow, skiing, and hot springs at the foot of the mountain.Ticketed | Yanbian, Jilin | Nov to Mar · (冬季) |
| Changchun Ice and Snow New World (长春冰雪新天地)Described as Jilin’s largest winter park, on Lianhua hill, built from large ice structures and snow sculpture.Ticketed | Changchun, Jilin | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Jilin Rime Ice and Snow Festival (吉林雾凇冰雪节)Built around the rime that forms on the Songhua below the dam, thickest from December to February. Watching the rime is free, and the winter activities are ticketed.part rite, part public event · Partly ticketed · Watching the rime is free. Some of the ice and snow activities are ticketed. | Jilin City, Jilin | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Tonghua Ice and Snow Festival (通化冰雪节)The winter season at Tonghua, on the Changbai skiing the area has built up.Ticketed | Tonghua, Jilin | Dec to Mar · (冬季) |
| Yanji Ice and Snow Festival (延吉冰雪节)Yanji’s winter season, run alongside the Korean culture of the prefecture, with ice activities and the local food alongside.Partly ticketed | Yanbian, Jilin | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Fushun Ice and Snow Festival (抚顺冰雪节)Winter activities at Fushun, run alongside the Manchu material the area holds.Partly ticketed | Fushun, Liaoning | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Qipan Mountain Ice and Snow World (沈阳棋盘山冰雪大世界)Shenyang’s winter park in the Qipanshan scenic area: snow sculpture and ice activities through the cold months.Ticketed | Shenyang, Liaoning | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
1 event
East China (华东)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Qingdao Ice and Snow Festival (青岛冰雪节)Qingdao’s winter season, with indoor and outdoor ice activities on a coast that rarely holds snow.Partly ticketed | Qingdao, Shandong | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
1 event
Central China (华中)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Shennongjia Ice and Snow Festival (神农架冰雪节)The winter season at Shennongjia: snow across the old forest, with skiing on the upper slopes.Ticketed | Shennongjia, Hubei | Dec to Mar · (冬季) |
1 event
Southwest China (西南)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Xiling Snow Mountain Ice and Snow Festival (西岭雪山冰雪节)The winter season at Xiling, one of the few places in southern China with skiing and snow at this scale.Ticketed | Chengdu, Sichuan | Dec to Mar · (冬季) |
4 events
Northwest China (西北)
| Event | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Lanzhou Ice and Snow Festival (兰州冰雪节)Lanzhou’s winter season: the Yellow River under snow, and skiing at Xinglongshan.Partly ticketed | Lanzhou, Gansu | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Yinchuan Ice and Snow Festival (银川冰雪节)Yinchuan’s winter season, run on the Western Xia material the city holds.Partly ticketed | Yinchuan, Ningxia | Dec to Feb · (冬季) |
| Altay Ice and Snow Festival (阿勒泰冰雪节)The Altay winter season, in a region that claims the earliest evidence of skiing and now trades on its dry snow.Ticketed | Altay, Xinjiang | Nov to Mar · (冬季) |
| Urumqi Silk Road Ice and Snow Festival (乌鲁木齐丝绸之路冰雪节)The winter season at the Silk Road resort outside Urumqi, on the northern slopes of the Tianshan.Ticketed | Urumqi, Xinjiang | Nov to Mar · (冬季) |
Being There on the Day
Most of these move against the calendar on your phone, and the date is only fixed once the lunar year is set. Tell our local team your travel dates and they will say which of these fall inside them, and which are rites where a visitor stands at the edge rather than in the middle.