Most visitors to Harbin come in the winter, to experience the famous festivals: the Ice Lantern Garden Party and Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. These events are spectacular showcases of ice-art and a time for celebration across the whole of the city. Ice lanterns light up Zhao Lin Park, and local people tie the knot in elaborate ice-weddings. Ice-golf, ice-archery and ice-skating are available across the city. However, winter is not the only festive time in Harbin. Visitors arriving in spring can experience Vesak, which marks the Buddha' s birthday with a series of celebrations and bazaars centered on the Jile Temple over the fourth lunar month. Beer is one of Harbin' s only exports, and therefore is one of its most celebrated. The Harbin International Beer Festival takes place every year at the beginning of summer. Some foreign brews have been sneaking in, in recent years, but for locals, it' s still all about Harbin Beer. Bringing Harbin' s short summer to a close, is the Harbin Summer Music Concert.

Harbin has a several places to visit outside of festival times for travelers with a few days to spare. The Yabuli Ski Resort a heaven of many winter sports, including skiing, sledging and ice sailing. The Yuquan hunting ground provides hunting on foot and horseback, as well as rugged barbeques on the large flat mountain hunting grounds.

Within the city, there is a multitude of ways to pass the nights. Perhaps in an effort to fight off the cold, plenty of western style bars and night clubs, KTVs and restaurants have sprung up frequented by locals and visitors alike. The more expensive hotels tend to have good bars anyway, but Guogeli Dajie is lined with bars & night clubs. Traditional Tea Houses and coffee joints are open late and provide respite from the bars for those who prefer non-alcoholic refreshments. Bowling is also experiencing a surge of popularity: try the East Bowling Entertainment Center, or the bowling lanes in any of the larger tourist hotels.

Traditional entertainment is also key to the visitor' s experience in Harbin. Errenzhuan (also known as bengbeng) is a form of duet evolved from Peking Opera. Stories are told through music, dance and martial arts. This art form is native to the northeast regions of China and is very easy for outsiders to understand. It is often extremely funny and gives a wonderful insight into local sensibilities. Performances are staged daily at the Changchun Errenzhuan Theater.

A newer but no less intriguing local art form is Longjiang opera, which appeared in the region around Harbin in the 1950s. It involves solo, duet and group performances involving acting and dancing. Props such as fans and handkerchiefs are used, but as this is an evolving art form anything could happen! The theater of the Heilongjiang Longjiang Opera Troupe is a good place to see these energetic performances, but during festivals, folk performances are shown in many more venues.

The Harbin Culture Grand Market, (Harbin Wenhua Daji) in the Nangang District is an area which stages many kinds of folk performances, as well as being a centre for shopping and sightseeing. Street performances of music and dance provide a wonderful backdrop to the craftworks and local knickknacks on sale including locally made clothes, curios, and local specialties. The market takes part in the ice and snow festivals too, making this a great destination all year round.

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