The 26th "Big World of Ice and Snow" Festival, the world's largest theme park made of ice and snow, opened in the Chinese city of Harbin, "Xinhua News" reports.

The construction of the unique park facilities required 300 thousand cubic meters of snow and ice. This year, the design of the complex is inspired by the upcoming 2025 Asian Winter Games, which will be held in Harbin. The park's territory has reached a record size in the entire history of the festival - 1 million square meters, which is 200 thousand more than last year.

The park contains nine thematic zones, where iconic landmarks of 42 countries and 3 regions that are members of the Olympic Council of Asia are recreated. All compositions are equipped with impressive lighting for evening viewing. In the center of the park stands the main tower with ice columns symbolizing the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Organizers expanded the popular ski area, increasing the number of ice slides to 24, and created a 300-meter heated waiting area with panoramic views of the park. In addition to traditional snow and ice attractions, visitors can enjoy fantastic shows, VR entertainment and an immersive digital museum.

The "Big World of Ice and Snow" is one of the main attractions of winter tourism in China. Last season, the park gained enormous popularity on Chinese social media and received more than 2,7 million visitors.

On February 7, 2025, the opening of the 9th Asian Winter Games will take place in Harbin - the first major international winter sports event in China after the Beijing Olympics in 2022.