Do you need a ticket for the Sapporo Snow Festival?

No. Entry to all three sites, Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsudome, is free. Some rides at Tsudome and the skating rink at Odori charge. Ride prices are published from mid-December, so check the official site before you go.

When is the Sapporo Snow Festival 2027?

The 77th Sapporo Snow Festival runs Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February 2027, eight days across all three sites. The last day is National Foundation Day, a national holiday, so expect the biggest crowds then.

Where are the Sapporo Snow Festival sites?

Odori Park in central Sapporo holds the large snow sculptures. Susukino, the entertainment district, holds the ice sculptures. Tsudome, a community dome in the northeast, holds the family snow play. Odori and Susukino are close; Tsudome is a separate trip.

What should I wear to the Sapporo Snow Festival?

Thermal layers, a windproof coat, gloves, a hat, and snow boots with grip. February days sit around freezing, with nights near minus 6 degrees. Walkways freeze slick, so take short steps on icy patches and allow extra time.

Is the Sapporo Snow Festival worth going to?

Yes, if you can handle cold and crowds. The giant sculptures, night lights, and free entry make it Japan's largest winter event. Go on a weekday, see Odori at dusk, and give Tsudome a daytime slot if you have kids.

Sapporo Snow Festival 2027: Dates, Sites, What to See

Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 runs Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February across three sites: Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsudome. All three sites are free to enter. Odori holds the giant snow sculptures, Susukino holds the ice carvings, and Tsudome holds the family snow play.

When is Sapporo Snow Festival 2027

Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 runs from Thursday 4 February to Thursday 11 February, eight days in all. It is the 77th edition of the festival. The last day, 11 February, is National Foundation Day, a national holiday in Japan, so expect the biggest crowds then. The festival dates move slightly each year but always fall in early February. See the official Sapporo Snow Festival site for dates and the programme for the latest updates as the festival approaches.

What is the Sapporo Snow Festival

Yuki Matsuri is the Japanese name for the festival, and it means Snow Festival. It is one of Japan's largest winter events: a week when Sapporo turns its snow into sculpture. The festival spans three sites across the city, each with a different character. Odori Park is the main site, a long park through the city centre. Susukino is the entertainment district site, with ice instead of snow. Tsudome is the community site, built for families who want to play in the snow rather than only look at it. See the full list of cultural festivals in this category.

The three sites

Site	What to see	Hours
Odori Park	Five large snow sculptures at blocks 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10, plus medium and small sculptures, food stalls, and the International Snow Sculpture Contest at block 11.	Open any time, lit until 22:00.
Susukino	Carved ice sculptures along Ekimae-dori, some with fish frozen inside, plus an ice-carving contest.	Open any time, lit until 23:00 (22:00 on 11 Feb).
Tsudome	Tube slides, snow rafting, a snow maze, and an indoor kids' play area.	10:00 to 16:00 only.

Odori Park stretches from block 1 to block 11, about 1.1 km. Block 2 hosts events tied to the Sapporo International Art Festival 2027, and block 1 holds winter attractions and food stalls. Read the LIVE JAPAN guide to the 2027 festival venues and sculpture themes for how each block is used.

What happens on the day

Most visitors walk Odori Park in the late afternoon and stay for the lights. The large sculptures are best seen twice: once in daylight for the carving detail, and once after dark when they are lit and some carry projection mapping. In Susukino, the ice sculptures glow under the neon of the entertainment district, and the ice-carving contest lets you watch artists work in real time. At Tsudome, children ride tube slides and try snow rafting, and families spend a half day there. Food stalls at Odori and Tsudome serve Hokkaido food, from miso ramen and soup curry to grilled lamb and crab.

New for 2027, organisers have announced a large snow slide under the Sapporo TV Tower at Odori Park, about 7 metres tall and 35 to 50 metres long, built by packing snow around a frame. It will charge to ride. Organisers also plan to use less snow across the festival, cutting the truck journeys that haul it in. In 2026, Odori held 135 snow and ice sculptures, Tsudome 14, and Susukino 60, and the three sites together drew about 2.54 million visits.

Tickets

Entry to all three sites is free. You do not need a ticket to walk Odori Park, see the Susukino ice sculptures, or enter Tsudome. What costs money is play: some rides and activities at Tsudome charge, and the skating rink at Odori charges. Ride prices are published closer to the festival, from mid-December, so check the official site before you go. Bring cash for food stalls and small rides, since some vendors do not take cards.

How the festival began

The festival began in 1950, when local middle and high school students built six snow sculptures in a corner of Odori Park, a space then used only to dump snow cleared from city streets. About 50,000 people turned up, and the event became an annual tradition. In 1953, students built a 15-metre sculpture called Shoten, or Ascension. Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force joined at the sixth edition in 1955, bringing trucks and cranes that made far larger sculptures possible. For the force, building huge snow structures in sub-zero cold works as practical winter engineering training. The 1972 Winter Olympics put Sapporo and the festival on the world stage, and the International Snow Sculpture Contest began in 1974, inviting teams from sister cities to compete. The festival was cancelled in person twice, in 2021 and 2022, when it ran online only during the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person celebrations returned in 2023.

Safety and visiting tips

Cold: February days sit around freezing, with nights near minus 6 degrees. Wear thermal layers, a windproof coat, gloves, a hat, and snow boots with grip.
Ice: walkways freeze slick. Walk on cleared paths, allow extra time, and take short steps on icy patches. Many visitors slipped and fell in 2026 hurrying between sculptures.
Crowds: go on a weekday and visit Odori in the late afternoon for a quieter walk. The last day, a national holiday, is the busiest.
Tsudome: go in the daytime. It closes at 16:00, and on busy days rides stop taking people earlier.
Photos: the sculptures look best at dusk, when daylight and lights meet. Keep camera batteries warm in an inside pocket.
Getting around: Odori Park is a short walk from JR Sapporo Station and Odori subway station. Susukino is one subway stop south. Tsudome is a separate trip by shuttle bus from Sakaemachi, Odori, or Sapporo Station.
Stay: book months ahead. Downtown Sapporo sells out fast during festival week, and prices rise close to the dates.
Cash: carry cash for food stalls, small rides, and market stalls.

Another seasonal festival with a very different mood is Halloween dates, traditions, and safety guide. For the full list of festivals across the world, go back to the World Festival and Holiday Calendar.

Sapporo Snow Festival 2027: Dates, Sites and Visitor Guide

The Story of Sapporo Snow Festival 2027: Dates, Sites and Visitor Guide