The annual Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture festival started on the 5th of January and again Boston.com‘s Big Picture have an amazing set of photographs taken at the event. You can feel the coolness of the ice and the warmth of the lights through these pictures.

In frigid northeastern China, in the city of Harbin is hosting its 26th annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. Massive buildings built of ice from the frozen surface of the nearby Songhua River, large scale snow sculptures, ice slides, festival food and drinks can be found in several parks in the city. At night, visitors who endure the bitter cold will see the lights switched on, illuminating the sculptures from both inside and outside. This year’s festival opened yesterday, January 5th, and will remain open until some time in February. Collected here are several photos from just before the festival, and of the opening night. (31 photos total)

Ice structures large and small light up a park in Harbin, China during its 26th annual Ice Festival on January 5, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

To those that celebrate in the festivities of Halloween – have a good one! Not too big an event in South Africa but some people do participate by dressing up and trick-or-treating in their neighbourhood or going to a dress-up party. As for me, I’ll be catching up on some much needed rest after this week of work, lazily waking up on All Saints day.