World's largest ice-and-snow park closes as temperature rises

HARBIN, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Harbin Ice-Snow World, the largest theme park of its kind in the world, closed on Saturday as rising temperature led to melting of its ice and snow landscapes.

The 27th edition of the popular winter attraction, located in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, ended its run earlier than usual this year due to safety concerns and to ensure a quality visitor experience amid the thaw, according to the organizers.

Visitors who have reserved tickets can get full refunds, and in a special gesture, those who bought tickets for the period between Feb. 20 and 28, 2026, will be granted free admission to the next edition of the park.

While the outdoor park bids farewell for the season, the world's largest indoor ice-and-snow theme park located within the Harbin Ice-Snow World complex will open at noon on Sunday.

As an established ice-and-snow theme park, Harbin Ice-Snow World is one of China's leading winter attractions.

China aims to boost its ice-and-snow economy as a new source of growth, targeting an economic scale of 1.2 trillion yuan (about 174 billion U.S. dollars) by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030, according to guidelines released by the State Council.