GALVESTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Moody Gardens gave an official warm TEXAS welcome on Saturday as 31 master ice carvers from Harbin, China arrived on property. These award-winning members of the VYA Ice Carving Team are the sole designers and sculptors of the new ICE LAND Ice Sculptures with SpongeBob SquarePants exhibition debuting at Moody Gardens on November 15.
The carvers traveled half way around the world to Galveston where they will transform 900 tons of ice into towering and majestic works of art featuring the beloved underwater characters from SpongeBob SquarePants during the holidays. This event kicked-off a rather chilly journey for the ice carvers as they begin their work within the 17,000 square feet of exhibit space that will be held at a temperature of nine degrees throughout the holiday season. They will work in shifts around the clock for 47 days to bring to life this unique walk-through holiday attraction to life in time for the debut.
So how did the idea of this festive frozen phenomenon on a tropical island come about? The conception of ICE LAND was inspired several years ago by the world’s largest International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China. Known as the Ice City, over 3,000 of the world’s top artisans create a 100-acre walk-through Ice Park complete with thousands of immense ice sculptures made from millions of pounds of ice.
“My team was surprised and honored by the wonderful welcome we received upon our arrival to Galveston, Texas,” said Mr. Qiu Guanghui, captain of the VYA Ice Carving Team who added that the crew enjoyed the gift of cowboy hats given at the Welcome Ceremony. “We are anxious to get to work on the creation of the ICE LAND Ice Sculptures for visitors to enjoy at Moody Gardens.”
The temperatures in Harbin stay below freezing for almost half the year, so spending approximately 1,080 hours within the ICE LAND tent that is chilled to nine degrees could actually be a warmer option for these professional ice carvers. The result will be an extraordinary artistic endeavor created exclusively for Moody Gardens guests.
ICE LAND will be a frosty new addition to the Festival of Lights and other holiday attractions this year as Galveston makes its holiday transition into a Winter Wonder Island. Admission to will be $26.95 for adults, $21.95 for seniors and $15.95 for children. Courtesy parkas will be distributed to each guest. For a list of peak, non-peak and group blackout dates, please visit moodygardens.com/holidayschedule. Guests can also visit moodygardens.com/icelandwebcam to view the live web cam for a special behind-the-scenes look at the ice carvers sculpting over the next few months.
For more information, please call 800-582-4673 or visit moodygardens.org.
Moody Gardens® is a public, non-profit, educational destination utilizing nature in the advancement of rehabilitation, conservation, recreation, and research.
