China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is a local festival developed on the basis of China's ice lantern show, which was founded in 1985 and named the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.

From 2001, it was renamed the 17th China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, enjoying the same recognition as the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, Quebec Winter Carnival in Canada and Ottawa Winter Festival. The festival is one of the world’s longest events of its kind. The China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival hosts an opening ceremony every year on Jan 5, and there is no closing ceremony. The festival stays open until the end of February, when the snow melts. In 2011, the 28th China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival was hosted by the National Tourism Administration, Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government and Harbin Municipal People's Government. The event carried out ice art, ice sports, ice and snow culture, ice trade, ice tourism, and nearly 100 snow-related events.