5 Stunning Ice Sculptures from 2013

As I’m writing out this sentence, I’m wearing fuzzy wool socks, I’ve got a thick green blanket wrapped around me, and I’ve got the heat blasting. I don’t know what the weather’s like over in your neck of the woods, but over here it’s f-f-f-freezing. Personally, I’m not a big fan of the cold. As much as I hate needing to wear layer after layer in order to stay comfortable, I have to admit that that winter is absolutely gorgeous with its pristine snow, ornate snowflakes, and glittering icicles. Best of all, winter presents artists with a wonderful opportunity as they explore the world of frozen artwork. Here are a few of the best ice sculptures from 2013.

London Ice Sculpture Festival

London isn’t known for having phenomenal weather. So when temperatures plummet and rain turns into snow, Londers make the best of their situation with their annual Ice Sculpture Festival. This year’s festival (back in pring) included giant frozen crosses, stars, and animals.

MIT’s Ice Wall

The prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently had its 150th anniversary. To celebrate the momentous occasion, MIT architect student Yushiro Okamoto designed and built the IceWall, a frozen installation on the banks of the Charles River. The installation may have been temporary, but it students will be able to experience the beauty of Okamoto’s design for years to come. Each block had flower seeds inside of it, so when spring rolled around the blocks melted and deposited their seeds along the edge of the river.

Russian Land Rover

Ever wonder what Frosty the Snowman drove to work? Russian artists built this Toyota Land Rover during an ice festival in Perm earlier this year.

How do I know that it’s a Land Rover and not some other SUV? Because along with functional tail lights, opening doors, and a frozen steering wheel, the artists also took the time to inscribe the Toyota logo and the name of the vehicle.

Ice Art 2013-2014

The International Ice & Snow Festival in Harbin, China is the world’s most spectacular frozen celebration, hands down. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see the frozen wonderland until the festival begins on January 5, 2014. The good news is that we’ve got Singapore’s Ice Art 2013-2014 exhibit to hold us over until then.

Modeled after the IISF, the Ice Art exhibit is a much smaller version of the city-sized festival in Harbin, complete with frozen buildings, ice sculptures, and snow slides. The Ice Art show is the only chance that many Singaporians will get to throw snowballs. Protected inside of a massive temperature-controlled warehouse, the Ice Art exhibit won’t be affected by Singapore’s sweltering heat.

2013 Harbin Ice Festival

That brings us to the headliner, the real shebang, the creme-de-la-creme: Harbin’s International Ice & Snow Festival. This is all ice:

Well, not the people. I’m mostly referring to those multicolored castles in the background. Each year, people from all over the world gather in the northern reaches of China to explore an entire town made of ice and snow. The 2014 festival is slated to kick off next month, and it’s sure to blow last year’s display out of the water!