Sapporo Snow Festival

About the festival

Sapporo Snow Festival is held every February in Sapporo and is one of Japan's largest winter events. It began in 1950 as a small event organised by local students and has grown into an internationally known festival featuring large-scale snow and ice sculptures.

The 2027 festival is the 77th edition, held across three main sites: the Odori Site, spanning eleven blocks with large snow sculptures, small sculptures, and winter attractions; the Tsudome Site, a sports facility with snow slides and activities aimed at families; and the Susukino Site, focused on illuminated ice sculptures in the city's entertainment district. A related event, the Sapporo Snow Sports Park, runs for a few extra days after the main festival ends.

Given Sapporo's winter climate, warm clothing is essential, and evenings can be considerably colder than daytime. The large snow sculptures are usually at their best condition early in the festival.

The 2027 festival runs from 4 to 11 February, with the related Snow Sports Park event following from 12 to 14 February.