A city in China hosts an elaborate winter festival with giant ice castles, mass weddings, and a frigid swimming contest - take a look

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Tourists visit illuminated ice sculptures during the opening day of 35th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival at the Harbin Ice and Snow World on January 5, 2019 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province of China.

• Harbin, China hosts an International Ice and Snow Festival each year that draws millions of visitors.
• The festival kicked off its 35th year on January 5.
• The festival's winter attractions include life-size ice sculptures, ice replicas of the Colosseum and Milan Cathedral, and massive snowmen.
• There's also an ice-swimming tournament in which swimmers brave the freezing waters of the Songhua river in sub-zero temperatures.

China's Heilongjiang Province isn't always a big destination for tourists, but when winter rolls around, the region rolls out the red carpet to millions of visitors from across the globe. The city of Harbin hosts one of the world's largest winter celebrations, called the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, which features painstakingly crafted ice sculptures and gargantuan snow statues.

The festival, which includes four separate theme parks, kicked off its 35th year on January 5 and runs until the end of February. Last year's attracted more than 18 million visitors, according to NBC News.

The festival's colored lights make the ice creations look even more striking, and each year weddings also take place there in abundance.

For those unable to travel to Harbin this winter (presumably that's most of us), take a look at these stunning images from the festival so far.