Harbin Snow and Ice Festival: still open, but events canceled due to Covid outbreaks

Harbin Snow and Ice Festival: still open, but events canceled due to Covid outbreaks

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(CNN) – The 37th Annual Harbin Snow and Ice Festival continues as planned, albeit with modifications due to new coronavirus outbreaks nearby.
The winter festival, which is a major event in the city of Harbin, in northeastern China, in Heilongjiang province, attracts travelers from all over China and the world in December and January since 1985.

The festival taking place as planned was hailed as a milestone in China’s success in containing and controlling the coronavirus. Many restrictions have been lifted across the country, with residents being able to travel freely within China’s borders.

Now, however, small outbreaks in neighboring cities in Shenyang and Dalian have resulted in a change of plans. While the festival is still open and visitors can buy tickets to stroll and check out the works of art on the ice, events and performances have been canceled. This included a planned group wedding ceremony that was due to take place on January 5. An event organizer confirmed the changes to CNN.

Ice sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China, on January 5, 2021.

Ice sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China, on January 5, 2021.

STR / AFP / Getty Images

“All visitors need to reinforce their care, present their health codes when entering the park, measure their temperature, wear masks at all times and maintain a [safe] distance from the others in the park “, says the statement released on the festival ‘s social networks on December 29.

New Year’s Eve celebrations and a fireworks display were also canceled.

The health codes mentioned in the statement refer to the app that everyone in China should have on their phones to check if they are free from Covid-19. The application is also used for tracking contacts in case of illness. Domestic travel restrictions began to ease in some provinces as early as April 2020.

The annual festival is the largest of its kind in the world.

Every year, workers remove blocks of ice from the Songhua River, which artists use as material for their creations. The pressure is always on to overcome the previous year, and the 2021 highlights include a 21-square-meter “fully functional” crystal palace “, a scale model of China’s first aircraft made entirely of snow.

Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics in conjunction with the snowy city of Zhangjiakou to the north, making the Chinese capital the first city to host the Winter and Summer Games.

CNN’s Hannah Zheng in Beijing also contributed reporting.

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