It was a highlight of Manchester's festive season last year, and the wintery Ice Village will be returning to the city this winter.
As part of the Manchester Christmas Markets, Cathedral Gardens was filled with enormous and intricate ice sculptures for the first time.
Carved from over 250 tonnes of ice, the chilly wonderland was themed on a festive twist of Manchester's industrial heritage.
Ice elves and polar bears played against a backdrop of pistons and cogs.
The theme for this year's event has not yet been confirmed, but the organisers dropped a fairly big hint earlier this afternoon when they unveiled two preview sculptures in the city centre.
A life-size throne and a baby dragon hatching from an egg, both carved from solid ice, have made an appearance outside Manchester Cathedral.
Dragons and thrones... hmm...
Without the temperature-controlled building they resided in last year, the sculptures aren't meant to last much longer, melted down by a combination of warmer September temperatures and Manchester drizzle.
Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “The Ice Cavern was a magical addition to Manchester’s renowned festive celebrations last year, so it was our Christmas wish to bring them back to the city for 2019.
"Their creations are something to behold and walking round the cavern really does feel like you’ve been transported to Lapland.
"We can’t wait to see what they come up with this year – but a sneak preview this week will see us through until they return on Friday 8 November."
The Ice Village will return to the area between November 8 and December 31 this year.
It will be joined by the usual ice rink, Santa's grotto, and selection of festive market stalls as part of the city-wide Christmas Markets.
The Manchester Christmas Markets will return on November 8 this year, running until December 21 in most sites, and December 22 at Albert Square.
Follow CityLife
We have a dedicated Facebook page for all the latest on where to drink, eat, go out and events across Greater Manchester.
From the best food and drink deals to exclusive looks at new restaurants and bars, gig reviews and weekend plans - we've got you covered.
You can follow the page here for all the latest news.
We also have Facebook groups specialising in eating out around Manchester and going out .
You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram .
To stay up to speed with everything going on in the city centre, you can follow our new, dedicated Facebook page too , where we'll be bringing you all the latest news, reviews, transport, music, dining and loads more.
