China’s Most Famous Ice Festival Taken Over by Disney

Located in northeast China, Harbin is host to arguably the world’s most famous ice festival.  First held in 1963, the Harbin Ice Lantern Festival is an annual tradition for locals and visitors who are drawn to the enormous, colorfully lit-up ice sculptures displayed each winter.

This year, instead of Qing dynasty palaces and dragons, visitors were greeted by Snow White, Mickey Mouse and Aladdin’s Castle.  The New York Times reports that a Disney licensing company has bought the rights to operate the festival, while Disney looks over the sculpture designs to make sure they fit with the Disney brand.

Ticket costs have almost doubled to $15, yet there are still an average of 3,000 visitors a day.  As for the traditional, more Chinese-themed sculptures, visitors now have to travel to one of the two festivals outside the city run by the government.

New York Times: A Big Wall Falls in China to Make Room for Mickey