Second Beijing Ice and Snow Cultural Festival Kicks off

The second "Meet 2022" Ice & Snow Cultural Festival kicked off in Beijing on Thursday. It is the largest ice festival ever held in Beijing Olympic Sports Center Area, featuring the highest quality activities as well as having the longest run.

The second "Meet 2022" Ice & Snow Cultural Festival opened in the Beijing Olympic Park on Dec. 26, 2019. The festival, running till Feb. 8, is a platform showcasing the Chinese winter sports as well as its ice and snow culture. The National Stadium, better known as the Bird's Nest, and the National Aquatics Center, or the Water Cube, were both built for the 2008 Olympic Games and are the venues for the festival. Here, visitors can enjoy winter sports such as curling, ice hockey, skating and skiing while appreciating several Winter Olympics-themed exhibitions and having a VR experience of Winter Olympics sports. Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic Games and will be hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics. [Photo by Gao Zhan/ China SCIO]

Guided by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and hosted by the Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co., Ltd. and Beijing Investment Group Co., Ltd., the festival is an interactive project integrating cultural promotion, science and technology displays, snow and ice experiences and public activities.

As the curling venue for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the Water Cube has created an Olympic-standard ice arena for the Winter Olympic Games. During the festival, the Water Cube will officially open the "Winter Olympic standard" ice surface to the public. Through this, locals and visitors can experience Olympic-quality ice and learn more about the sport of curling.

The Bird's Nest, another venue of the Olympic Park, has also upgraded its ice and snow facilities.

The festival will open to the public from Dec. 26, 2019 to Feb.8, 2020.