Our
region is known for long cold winters. Outsiders often wonder how we survive
through them. The truth is we don’t survive winter-we celebrate it! Winter is a
chance for the citizens of Wood Buffalo to strap on a pair of snowshoes, slap
on a pair of skis, put on their skates, or jump onto a snowmobile and enjoy the
great outdoors!
Another way we enjoy our winter paradise is through our annual winter festival, WinterPLAY. WinterPLAY is an opportunity for winter lovers to party in the ice and snow. The festival features The Shoot Out on the Syne, a 3 on 3 hockey tournament where weather hardened Wood Buffalans battle it out for hockey supremacy.
There’s
also the outdoor stage where people can dress in their snazziest pair of snow pants
to dance and sing to live performances.
Then there is the WinterPLAYGROUND a magical place where rosy cheeked children can play, wander, and explore stunning ice sculptures, snow mazes, and ice castles.
The
citizens of Wood Buffalo love their winters but there is one city that may love
it even more. Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang Province in northeast
China is also known for its artic climate with provides an abundant amount of
snow and ice. Like Wood Buffalo, the people of Harbin decided to turn their
long, cold, winters into a positive by creating the largest ice sculpture
festival in the world!
The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival,
established in 1985, is held annually on January 5th and
lasts for over one month attracting hundreds of thousands of local people and visitors from
all over the planet.
Nicknamed the 'Ice City' of Harbin, it is recognized as
the cradle of ice and snow art in China and is famous for its exquisite and
artistic ice and snow sculptures.
The festival attracts some of the top ice
sculpture experts and artists from around the world who gather to compete in
the many ice sculpting competitions. The festival also hosts many winter sporting
competitions such as ice-skating and sledding. Weddings, parties and other entertainment
add to the overall celebration of this incredible ice city.
The
Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is truly remarkable giving
the WinterPLAY festival something to aspire to.
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