Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival 2013

Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival 2013

The opening ceremonies for this year's Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Heilongjiang province in northeastern China were held earlier this week. The event, held since 1963, can last more than a month, depending on the weather, and attracts visitors from around the world who come to see the elaborate ice and snow sculptures.

People visit the Ice and Snow World at the opening ceremony of the 2013 Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province on Jan. 5. This year's "Ice and Snow World" features majestic ice castles and sculptures of fairytale characters equipped with LED lights, bringing a colorful and warm aura to the icy wonderland. 

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People visiting Ice and Snow World watch as fireworks fill the sky at the opening ceremony.

Visitors ride on a horse cart among large ice sculptures at the 29th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, northern China, on Jan. 6. The three-month-long subzero festival is in its 29th edition, attracting both foreign and local visitors. 

People visit the Ice and Snow World at the opening ceremony of the 2013 Harbin Internatoinal Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

A visitor posed before a snow sculpture in Ice and Snow World at the opening ceremony. 

This year's Ice and Snow World features majestic ice castles and sculptures of fairytale characters equipped with LED lights, bringing a colorful and warm aura to the icy wonderland. 

Fireworks burst in the sky over the Ice and Snow World at the opening ceremony of the 2013 Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival on Jan. 5.

A woman poses in front of a large snow sculpture of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven on display at the Sun Island Park during the 29th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China's northern Heilongjiang province, on Jan. 5. 

A woman poses for a photograph in front of a large snow sculpture at the Sun Island Park during the 29th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. 

Fireworks go off behind a large ice sculpture during the opening ceremony of the 29th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China's northern Heilongjiang province, on Jan. 5. 

Fireworks explode over ice sculptures during the official opening of the 29th Harbin
 International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang province on Jan. 5.

Tourists visit ice sculptures during the testing period of the 13th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival officially launched January 5, 2012.

A group of girls pose in front of a castle made from blocks of ice before the opening ceremony of the Harbin International Ice and Snow festival. 

Sunset near a castle made from blocks of ice in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province. 

Ice sculptures displayed at the annual Ice and Snow festival in Harbin. Fairy tale palaces, towering pagodas, and even an Egyptian Sphynx -- all carved from ice -- are among the sights at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. 

The Harbin Ice and Snow festival, an annual event, now in its 26th year, draws crowds from across China and even a few visitors from overseas, drawn to the unique visions of an international roster of sculptors who illuminate their creations with multicolored electric lights encased in the translucent ice. 

Ice block sculptures of fairy tale palaces, towering pagodas, and an Egyptian Sphynx draw crowds from across China and even a few visitors from overseas. 

Spectators watch fireworks explode over ice sculptures during the official opening. 

Fireworks explode while Chinese dancers perform on a snow hill during the opening ceremony.

A woman takes pictures of the colorful ice block buildings. 

Visitors tour a building structure made from blocks of ice and lit with colorful lights. 

Visitors enjoy the sights at the Harbin International Ice and Snow festival.

A climber demonstrates his skill on a building made of blocks of ice during the opening ceremony. 

Visitors watch fireworks shoot above the ice block buildings during the opening ceremony of the festival.

Tourists visit ice sculptures.

The colorful lights of the ice block sculptures create a intriguing overall scene for tourists. 

Visitors lose themselves in the fantasy-like colorful buildings of the Harbin festival. 

Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province is known for its bitterly cold winters and is often called the "Ice City." 

Even the staircases are made from ice blocks at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. 

A horse carriage carries tourists through the ice sculptures.

A horse carriage carrying tourists adds to the fairy tale mystique of the Harbin festival. 

People visit the Harbin Ice-Lantern Show at Zhaolin Park. 

Spectators watch fireworks explode over ice sculptures.

Harbin, known as "Ice City" - a nickname well-earned - for winters that are dry and bitterly cold, with a 24-hours average in January of only minus18.4 degrees celcius. Workers install a tree with lights near buildings made from blocks of ice.