This Dec. 30, 2013 picture shows a general view of the ice lanterns and carvings at the 2014 Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, in northeast China. This year's 'Ice and Snow World' will officially open on January 5, 2014. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Lit up in spectacular colors, the shimmering palaces and sculptures of the Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival are primed for their 30th appearance in Harbin, China.

The festival is one of the largest in the world, with four areas for visitors to explore: the snow sculptures carved by internationally renowned artists on Sun Island; ice sports and other activities on the frozen Songhua River; a show of ice lanterns in Zhaolin Park; and the Snow World on the western side of Sun Island.

According to the Daily Mail, the entire site is over 600,000 sq. meters (6,458,400 sq. ft.) and required the work of 10,000 people to chip blocks of ice from the Songhua River and stack them to form the towering castles and arches of the site.

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The event began in 1963 in the capital city of China's northeastern Heilongjiang province. With arctic air coming down from Siberia, temperatures in the city have fallen as low as -45 degrees, making its nickname of "Ice City" an appropriate one.

Because the Snow and Ice Festival was interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, it didn't become a permanent annual event until 1985, said Atlas Obscura, and is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. In past years, themes for the sculptures have covered everything from the Beijing Olympics to "Friendship Between China and Russia."

This year's festival will open officially on January 5, although the exhibits have been open to the public since December. The month-long event usually draws around 800,000 visitors every year, the majority from China, but with others coming from Japan, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea, reported AFP.

For more information on visiting the Ice City and strolling through the splendid sculptures, visit the Harbin Ice Festivalwebsite.

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View of the Alpeniglu igloo village on January 23, 2011 in Austria. The village is built completely of snow and ice, including bar, restaurant, wedding chapel and sleeping accommodations. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)