Selena Hoy

Take yourself to a magical winter wonderland up in the cold north of Japan. The annual Sapporo Snow Festival promises a bonanza of whimsical snow and ice sculptures -- including life-sized buildings, and recreations of palaces, castles, and famous monuments. While you're there, tuck into toasty, warming food, and get a real taste of Hokkaidō. We have a whole list of other snow and ice festivals around Japan in case you're visiting during the winter season. Jump to: Sapporo Snow Festival 2025 dates What to see and do What to know before you go When you need to book Accommodation in Sapporo Getting to Sapporo Getting around Sapporo FAQs Sapporo Snow Festival 2025 dates The dates for the 75th Sapporo Snow Festival have officially been confirmed, eight days from Tuesday, February 4 to Tuesday, February 11, 2025. As usual, there will be the International Snow Sculpture Contest and a number of food and drink stalls at three sites across Sapporo -- Ōdōri Park, Susukino, and Tsudome -- but this year, the Sapporo Dome will also be added to the list. What is there to see and do? Entrance to the Sapporo Snow Festival is free, though of course food and souvenirs cost extra. At night, most of the sculptures are illuminated. Ōdōri Park hosts the greatest number of sculptures, including the massive building-sized ones. Some are made by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, while others are created by businesses, international groups, or artists. In the Susukino district, known for its nightlife, there is a smaller display of more intricate ice sculptures amidst the host bars, karaoke places, and whiskey/highball counters. The Tsudome venue is a bit out of the city and has lots of snow play for both children and adults. For the first time, the Sapporo Dome (Daiwa House Premist Dome) will hold winter sports for three days during the event period. The day after the festival ends, bulldozers come to destroy the snow and ice art, while potentially quite sad, it is also an interesting sight to witness. Pro tip: Book other sightseeing activities in Sapporo to make the most of your time there. Or take advantage of JR Hokkaidō's rail passes and explore the countryside on your own. What times are the venues open? The two main sites, Ōdōri Park and Susukino, are open 24 hours as they are public streets (though the illuminations and lights will be turned off around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. each night). Tsudome is usually only open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. All sites have extras, like souvenir shops, refreshment stands, and ice bars alongside the displays. Times for Sapporo Dome are yet to be released. What to know before you go to the Sapporo Snow Festival This is one of Japan's most popular annual festivals -- which also takes place in winter -- so preparations are required! Book transport and accommodation early Sapporo books out relatively quickly during this time, with around 2 million visitors coming to the festival annually. It’s best to score flights/train tickets and accommodation early if you want to attend at a reasonable price. We've listed some recommended hotels below. Additionally, if you’re able to arrive a few days before the week begins or leave a few days after it ends, you may save on airfare. We recommend going early, if possible, since the sculptures are at their most beautiful at the beginning of the week; some of them can begin to look a bit melted and dirty by the end. Booking timeline: When you need to book by Reservations for tours from large travel agencies tend to start in August of the previous year and smaller companies from September. If you're planning on going on a weekend, it is best to book hotels as early as possible. Good accommodation is usually fully booked by October, so reserve by September if you can. The lesser desirable hotels are usually also filled by December. Flights follow a similar pattern, but there is always the longer Shinkansen and train option that can be booked up to a month in advance. Where to stay for the Sapporo Snow Festival There are lots of budget accommodation options in Sapporo, but be warned: rooms fill up quickly during this season, so it’s best to act fast. You can find cheaper hotels if you don't stay in the center. Hostels at the Sapporo Snow Festival For the young at heart, there are several hostels in town. Sapporo International Youth Hostel The Stay Sapporo Untapped Hostel Budget hotels at the Sapporo Snow Festival There’s no short supply of budget business hotels in Sapporo -- despite the name, they are open to holidaymakers. Here are our four cheap chain choices. Super Hotel Toyoko Inn Hotel MyStays Hotel Mets Hotels at the Sapporo Snow Festival If you're aiming for comfort above all else, try these highly-rated hotels. The Knot Sapporo Hotel Gracery Sapporo Daiwa Roynet Hotel Sapporo Premier Hotel Nakajima Park Getting to Sapporo Be aware that this festival happens in the dead of a Hokkaidō winter, and heavy snow and blizzards are common. Make sure you arrive with some time to spare in case there are any delays. Check out our full Tokyo to Sapporo travel article, as well as our New Chitose Airport to Sapporo guide for more details. Flying to Sapporo The easiest way to get to Sapporo from Tokyo is to fly to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, which is 28 miles (45 km) outside of the city. The flight takes between 1 hour and 35 minutes and 2 hours. The cheapest tickets tend to be on Airdo (rhymes with hairdo), Hokkaidō’s low-cost carrier. There are also cheap options from Jetstar, Peach, Spring Japan, and Skymark. Pricier carriers include ANA and JAL. If you're traveling with a lot of luggage, consider porting it from the airport to your accommodation to get right into the sightseeing. Shinkansen and train to Sapporo It’s also possible to take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hakodate (Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station) (4-4.5 hours), and then take a limited express train onwards to Sapporo (4.5 hours) -- the white-washed view out the window is spectacular. However, this is slow and expensive, unless you take advantage of the Japan Rail Pass, or one of the regional passes from JR East that include travel to Hokkaidō. Ferry to Sapporo If you fancy a spot of adventure, there’s an overnight ferry from Oarai in Ibaraki (north of Tokyo) to Tomakomai in Hokkaidō for as cheap as one-way -- although there’s a bit of a hike on either end to get from the port to the city, and the journey takes around 18 hours! Getting around Sapporo Sapporo has a great subway system and some charming street cars, but much of this city of 2 million is compact and walkable. In fact, unlike many Japanese cities, the streets are laid out in an easy-to-comprehend grid system, with block-shaped blocks and addresses like “North 2, West 6,” which correspond to the distance from Ōdōri Park and Sōseigawa Park. In addition, much of the center of town can be walked underground in a vast network of tunnels, many of which double as shopping arcades and connect to the subway stations. In a city that has snow on the ground more than half the year, this makes sense, but from up top you wouldn’t necessarily realize that so much of the city is subterranean. For more details check out our guide to getting around Sapporo. How to get to the Sapporo Snow Festival venues Once you are in the center of Sapporo, it is quite simple to access the venues. Take a look at the map at the bottom of this article to get an overall sense of where they are. Ōdori Park's closest station is Ōdori Station and can be reached via the Namboku or Toho subway lines from Sapporo Station in under 10 minutes. The Susukino district is accessed by Susukino Station also on the Namboku Line, taking just one minute more than to Ōdori Station. Tsudome is around a 15-minute walk, or quick shuttle bus, from Sakaemachi Station. Including the walk, it takes around 30 minutes from Sapporo Station via the Toho Line. Sapporo Dome (Daiwa House Premist Dome) is also just under 30 minutes from Sapporo Station. Take the Toho Line for 15 minutes to Fukuzumi Station and then walk 10 minutes. FAQs Your questions about the Sapporo Snow Festival answered. What is there to eat in Sapporo? Hokkaidō is famous for its agriculture and supplies much of the rest of the country with vegetables, dairy, and other produce. You’ll find no shortage of delightful treats to warm your insides after braving the cold and crowds. Street snacks on offer at the festival include hot chocolate, steamy hot sake, baked jacket potatoes with dollops of Hokkaidō butter, and toasty ears of roasted corn. Local specialties include soup curry (vegetarian versions are available at many Indian restaurants), corn butter ramen, and super-fresh seafood, sushi, and crab -- all washed down with Sapporo Beer or Nikka Whiskey, which are brewed locally. For a list of must-eats, see our Sapporo foodie guide. Pro tip: Join a and visit spots that locals love. How cold does it get in Sapporo? February in Sapporo sees an average daily temperature of around -2.22°C (the average of the last five years). Rising temperatures due to global warming have threatened the future of the statues and talks are being held on changing the festival to reflect that. Is the Sapporo Snow Festival free? Yes, all sites are free to visit. What should I pack? Layers. Baby, it’s cold outside. Don’t forget your gloves, mittens, hats, scarves, long johns/thermal underwear, thick warm socks, and boots with good tread. The ice can be forbidding, and if you’re not careful, you’ll soon be slip slidin’ away. Also buy hokkairo (hand-warmer packets available from most stores), tissues for runny noses, and pocket change for the various delicious street-food snacks (canned coffee is never so delicious as in frozen Hokkaidō). Do I need snow shoes? Roads can be incredibly icy and slippery, and even the most surefooted may find themselves splayed on the roadside. The Sapporo Tourism Bureau even recommends that people buy ice cleats (suberidome) for their shoes, with an attachable pair available at local shops for around , as well as free walking sticks to rent. You’ll also see boxes filled with packets of rock salt, and citizens can help out by scattering this on the road as they cross. How many people attend the Sapporo Snow Festival? Around 2 million people flock to Sapporo during the Sapporo Snow Festival, generating around ￥45.6 billion. What souvenirs should I buy? Perhaps you’re one who likes to leave only footprints, and take only pictures, and if so, good for you. For the rest of us, there are several special souvenirs to tuck into your pack for the folks back home. Hokkaidō is known for its famous sweets makers: Ishiya makes a popular cookie called Shiroi Koibito (“White Boyfriend”) that is made of a layer of white chocolate sandwiched between two thin butter cookies. Then there is Rokkaitei, which produces the famous Marusei Butter Sand, a sandwich cookie with a sweet butter filling studded with raisins. (The company also makes lots of other beautiful treats with lovely flowered packaging). Royce, meanwhile, makes fresh chocolates that are sought after not only in Japan but many other parts of Asia. These rich little truffle chocolate squares dusted with cocoa melt quickly in the mouth, with an incredible velvet finish. Finally, for those who want something that lasts a lot longer, Hokkaidō is also home to the Marimokkori character -- a little man made from algae with a surprise in his trousers (NSFW). This is a play on the words marimo, which means algae, and mokkori, which is slang for... well, you know. And for more fun, see our general sightseeing guide to Sapporo. Safe travels! While we do our best to ensure that everything is correct, information is subject to change. Post first published in December 2015. Last updated by staff writers in August 2024.