A Sapporo Snow Festival Guide
Life is full of uncertainties, but there are some things you can count on happening.
For example, Erling Haaland scoring a hat trick, a Taylor Swift song hitting number one on the music charts, and Uncle Roger laughing at a fried rice video on YouTube.
Another one of those certainties is Sapporo having loads of snow when winter rolls around.
Which brings us to the Sapporo Snow Festival, also known as Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (さっぽろ雪まつり), typically held in early February for one week in Sapporo, with, of course, snow and ice galore.
If you're chasing after a magical winter wonderland filled with large snow sculptures the next time you visit Hokkaido, here's a guide to everything you need to know about the 2025 edition:
Sapporo Yuki Matsuri 2025: All You Need to Know
First up, how this now-iconic festival came to be.
Well, the Sapporo Snow Festival began way back in 1950 with humble beginnings. A group of high school students built a few snow statues in Odori Park, slowly attracting visitors before becoming the cultural behemoth it is today.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, the festival is held at three sites across the city: Odori Park (the OG location), Susukino, and Tsu Dome. And get this: roughly two million visitors from across the globe attend the festival.
As for when it's happening, the Sapporo Snow Festival 2025 will take place from 4th to 11th February, the same as last year's edition.
You can expect this much-loved festival to transform the city into a frosty, fairytale-like winter wonderland, with trees adorned with lights and ice statues, an insane amount of snow and ice sculptures, and even a family-friendly spot with multiple snow slides and snow rafting.
However, the star of the show, as always, is the International Snow Sculpture Contest at the Odori site, with the wildest, most intricate stages built entirely from snow - think elaborate dragons and fish - it's truly an incredible sight.
The International Snow Sculpture Contest
You can't have a frosty fantasy world without snow sculptures, and as its name suggests, that's what the contest is all about.
Held in the city center at Odori Park, this competition has ice artists from all across the world pitting their snow sculpture creations against each other.
And the standards here are very, very high.
2024's winners were from Mongolia, crafting a gorgeous ice fox curled around a baby’s crib. The runners-up weren't too shabby either, sculpting a sophisticated-looking Naga, the sacred serpent of water.
Beyond large snow sculptures, though, you can expect masterpieces that’ll take your breath away, not just some typical snowman made of circles with buttons for eyes.
Sapporo Snow Festival location
Odori Park is where the magic really happens at the festival, with large sculptures and the biggest shows.
It’s home to the most impressive sculptures, some towering over 25 metres wide and 15 metres high, with smaller snow statues scattered across the venue.
With a bit of help from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, these grand, larger-than-life pieces come to fruition, and it's no wonder the Odori site is the place to be.
Pro tip: you can catch a great view of Central Sapporo from the nearby Sapporo TV Tower.
Over at the Susukino site, Sapporo’s buzzing entertainment district, you’ll find around a hundred stunning ice sculptures, lit up until 11 pm.
Beyond the Odori and Susukino sites, there's the third site, Tsudome, where you’re in for a treat.
It’s perfect for families with snow slides, snow rafting, and a huge snow maze, plus more snow sculptures.
The Tsudome site is open from 10 am to 4 pm during the festival, making it a great spot for a fun day out.
But the real highlight here is getting to ride a snow raft - a must-do, especially if you're visiting from a hot and humid tropical country.
Susukino Ice World
Well, of course, the Sapporo Snow Festival isn't just about artists who create snow sculptures. It's also about that ice, ice baby!
Okay, our apologies for the Vanilla Ice reference - we just had to.
In any case, you can also check out the Susukino Ice Sculpture Contest, where the focus is on icy artworks rather than snow sculptures.
The contest is held at the second most popular site of the Sapporo Snow Festival, the Susukino Site.
Each year’s festival has a different theme, and for 2024, it was "Finding Delight in and Interacting with Ice."
It featured all sorts of majestic ice sculptures of various shapes and sizes, lit with neon lights to create a magical and mysterious world. In 2025, it will be pretty much the same.
The good news is that every year, the event is well-organised, with information counters, photo booths, and even an ice bar where you can warm up with a steaming hot beverage.
Planning Your Visit to the Sapporo Snow Festival
Getting to the Sapporo Snow Festival is easy as pie.
The Odori site, which is the primary venue, is right in the heart of the city. It’s just a 15-minute underground walk south from Sapporo Station, and you can easily catch the Namboku or Toho subway lines to get to Odori Station.
The Susukino site is also in the city centre, and you can take the same subway lines to get to Susukino Station from Sapporo Station.
If you're looking to keep costs down, there are shuttle buses running between Sakaemachi Station and the Tsudome Site for just 100 yen each way.
And if you’re up for a bit of exercise, it’s about a 15-minute walk from Sakaemachi Station to Tsudome.
Transport Passes For You to Consider in Sapporo
Tips and Essentials
Here are a few tips to make your time at the Sapporo Snow Festival go smoothly:
Make sure to wear non-slip winter boots or shoes. If you don’t have them, grab some strap-on spikes from a convenience store to avoid any slips.
Bundle up in a snowsuit to stay warm - it gets pretty chilly.
Many food stalls have cozy tents or rooms to warm up in. And while you’re there, why not enjoy a hot mulled wine to keep the chill at bay?
Wrapping Up: Your Sapporo Snow Festival Adventure
And there you have it - your ultimate guide to the Sapporo Snow Festival.
Whether you’re marvelling at towering snow sculptures, taking in the dazzling ice artworks, or simply enjoying a family-friendly day out, this festival offers a frosty feast for the senses.
From the grand creations at Odori Park to the neon-lit ice magic at Susukino, and the fun-filled activities at Tsudome, every corner of Sapporo transforms into a winter wonderland.
So grab your warmest snowsuit, put on those non-slip boots, and get ready for an unforgettable adventure.
With so much to see and do, the Sapporo Snow Festival is sure to sprinkle a little magic into your winter travel plans.