Harbin's 28th Ice and Snow World is the largest yet at 1.25 million m², with a new extra-long ice slide. What was announced in October 2026 and what it cost.
The 28th Harbin Ice and Snow World was presented on 12 October 2026, at the launch of Heilongjiang's 2026-27 ice and snow season. The park covers 1.25 million m², its largest footprint yet, using about 400,000 m³ of ice and snow and more than 1,000 structures. The main gate, the main tower and the Dream Stage have all been renovated. The signature giant ice slide stays, a new extra-long slide is being added in the West Zone, and smaller slides are spreading across the rest of the park. New shows include the Harbin Ice Show, an ice-and-snow car ballet and a themed parade. Domestic and international ice sculpture competitions run on site.
As of 20 October 2026, the 2026-27 opening date and ticket price had not been published. We will update this post once they are published. Until then, treat any number you see elsewhere as unconfirmed, and check the official WeChat channel before you commit.
If you came to China to ride, set expectations first: Ice and Snow World is a snow theme park. There are no lifts in the ski sense, no groomers, no trees, no sidecountry. The slides are tourist slides, not ski runs. Anyone who came to China to ride needs a mountain, and Yabuli is the one that pairs with Harbin, covered lower down.
What Ice and Snow World gives you is something a mountain cannot: full-scale ice and snow architecture lit at night, on a scale few places anywhere can match. That is the reason to spend an evening here, and the reason to keep your expectations in proportion. Treat it as a side day next to a real ski day.
The 1.25 million m² figure works out to roughly 175 football pitches. The giant slide from previous seasons returns near the main tower, smaller slides fill the gaps between the main sculpture clusters, and the West Zone holds the new extra-long slide. Most visitors enter the main gate, walk straight to the central sculptures, hit the slides, and finish at a hot drink stall near the exit on the north side of the Songhua.
It is bigger than you think. Wear boots you can stand in for three hours, because you will.
The signature giant ice slide is the one everyone photographs. It is a series of steep, banked ice channels, and the queue stretches back the same way every cold night. It will be back for 2026-27.
The new bit is an extra-long slide in the West Zone. The press materials released in October 2026 say it is being added as the new headline ride, but they do not give a length, so we do not quote one. The clear point of an extra-long slide in a park that already runs the famous giant is more of the same, on a longer track with hopefully fewer queues: that is a useful expectation to set before you go, not a number.
Smaller slides go around the rest of the park. If you are travelling with kids or with friends who do not ski, this is the part of the park that goes hardest.
The 2026-27 price had not been published at the time of writing. Last season's numbers are the most useful reference, and the table below is built from those. Confirm on the official WeChat account before you commit.
| What | 2025-26 (published) | 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard adult ticket | 328 yuan | Not yet published |
| Promotional first-week ticket | 298 yuan (first week of the 27th edition) | Not yet published |
| Sales channels | Official WeChat account, Meituan, Alipay | Same three expected; check the official channel |
| Opening | 17 December 2025 (27th edition) | Not yet published; expect mid to late December |
| Closing | Closed early on 21 February 2026 after record warm spells melted the sculptures | Not yet published |
The early close is the line in this table worth reading twice. The 27th edition shut on 21 February 2026 because record warm spells melted the sculptures. If you go late in the season, watch the weather before you commit.
The park looks best from late afternoon into the night, when the lights come on. Going in daylight is for the sculpture photo crowd. Going after dark is for the light crowd. Most visitors spend three to four hours inside. Allow half a day including gate queues in the holiday weeks and the bus ride in.
The ice park is the headline. The other things to layer onto the trip, all near the city centre:
For clothing and getting around, our Harbin city guide is the right starting point. The January average low in Harbin is about -22°C, which sounds like the Arctic until you have stood in it for ten minutes in the sun.
If you have one more day, Yabuli is the ski mountain that pairs. From Harbin, the high-speed train to Yabuli West is the way in, and from the station you are about 25 minutes by road to the resort. The mountain has real alpine terrain with lifts and groomers, colder and drier than Hebei, and earns the train ride. Our Yabuli guide covers lifts and where to stay, and our Harbin plus Yabuli trip plan lays out a two- or three-day itinerary. For cold-weather clothing, the northeast cold-weather guide is one of the most-read posts on the site, for a reason.
The clean pairing is an evening at the ice park plus a Yabuli ski day or two. Trying to fold both into a single theme-park-plus-mountain day ends up doing neither well.
Is the 2026-27 opening date confirmed? No. The October 2026 announcement covered footprint, structures and new rides, not the date. Watch the official WeChat account for the press release, usually mid to late November or early December.
Will the 2026-27 ticket price be 328 yuan again? That was the 2025-26 standard, not a quote for this season. Prices tend to drift up modestly year to year, so budget a little above 328 yuan and confirm before booking.
Can I see the whole thing in daylight? You can walk it, but the lighting is the point. Late afternoon into the night is the right window for photos and for the park at its best.
Is Yabuli worth adding? Yes, if you have a ski day free. The mountain is the real skiing in this region, the high-speed train from Harbin is fast, and an evening at the ice park plus a Yabuli day is the cleanest two- or three-day winter trip in the northeast.