China's Harbin ice festival in pictures

One of the world's largest ice festivals has opened in north-eastern China, featuring frozen castles, glistening snow sculptures and lots of snowmen.

Ice sculptures are seen at annual ice festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, on 4 January 2019Reuters

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival officially opened on Saturday.

Visitors watch fireworks exploding over ice sculptures at the Ice and Snow World during the opening ceremony of the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, on 5 January 2019EPA

It opened with a fireworks display and a light show.

A child rides a slide of an ice sculpture of the Ice and Snow World during the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in Harbin, China, on 4 January 2019EPA

The festival draws millions of visitors from around the world every year.

People visit ice sculptures illuminated by coloured lights at the Ice and Snow World in Harbin on 4 January 2019EPA

Some 120,000 cubic metres of ice and 111,000 cubic metres of snow have been used to build the Ice and Snow World.

People visit ice sculptures at the Ice and Snow World during the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in Harbin, China, on 4 January 2019EPA

Thousands of artists and workers built the displays in a city where temperatures can plunge as low as -35C (-31F).

A couple walk between snowmen on Songhua River that displays 2019 snowmen as a part of annual ice festival, in the northern city of HarbinReuters

There are 2,019 snowmen on display on the frozen Songhua River.

Participants jump into the freezing water of the Songhua River during a winter swimming competition at the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, 05 January 2019. Around 600 winter swimmers took part in the competition.EPA

There is even a winter swimming competition - with more than 300 people braving the chilly waters.

People visit ice sculptures illuminated by coloured lights at the Ice and Snow World during the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival on 4 January 2019EPA

The festival, which first started in the early 1980s, runs until 5 February.

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