The Sapporo Snow Festival (札幌雪祭 / Sapporo yuki matsuri) has been one of the biggest events in Sapporo from its very first debut in 1950. On the events opening year it had only 6 sculptures made by high school students, but had crowds from about 50,000. Now the sculptures run in the 100s and draw international crowds of 2 million (a stat from the 2019 event).
Having been to the event myself a few times now I can totally see why the event’s popularity has increased over the years. So to make it more accessible for you for you to enjoy it as well I thought I’d put this article of Sapporo Snow Fest info together.. Keep reading.. 🙂
– When to go –
This year the festival will kickoff on Friday the 31st of January and finish on Wednesday the 12th of February.
Flight prices are often higher around this season, but when the festival is on it’s even more so – so I highly recommend flying in a few days earlier if you can. That way you should save a little bit of coin, plus you’ll have a few extra days to see other things in and around Sapporo before the heavy crowds roll in. Check out things to do in Sapporo here.
Another plus to coming early is that the sculptures are actually much better looking at the beginning of the festival because they are freshly built. Towards the tail-end of the event the displays begin to melt and become patchy, and the overall quality and look drops.
So in summary get flights, accommodation and yourself to the festival itself on the earlier dates!
2020 dates: Fri 31 Jan – Weds 12th Feb
– Where to go –
Something that wasn’t that obvious when I first attended the festival is that it’s actually got 3 different sites – Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome.
Odori Park is the main location, the place that is televised, with the big snow sculptures and food and activities etc. The other 2, while still beautiful, are more like smaller spill overs or little promo areas to get the city excited about the Odori site. Susukino district is the next train stop over from Odori (or about a 10min walk by foot) and has ice sculptures (rather than snow) amongst the nightlife, bars and karaoke places that it’s most famous for. Tsudome is a bit further out from the city and rather than having sculptures, it’s more a place for snow play for adults and children (eg. ice slides).
Odori Park: 7 Chome Odorinishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0042, Japan
Susukino: Click here for Susukino Station & make your way around the district by foot
Tsudome: 885-1 Sakaemachi, Higashi Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 007-0852, Japan
– Odori Park –
The park itself is open to visitors all hours of the day, so there’s no real bad timing. However something to note is that during the night time from sunset till 22:00 the illuminations (ie. lights) are turned on, making the place even more magical! Some of the lights are just colored spotlights, however there are a few sculptures where the lights are actually a major part of the display and really make them come to life.
Eg. In 2019 there was a snow sculpture of a train and when the lights went on they projected the train actually coming in to the station.
Each block of the park (called # Chome eg. 1 Chome, 2 Chome, 3 Chome… ) will have a different theme or purpose to bring to the event. For example one block will have an ice skating rink and ice activities, another with a collection of only ‘small’ sculptures, others with huge sculptures, some with just food (such as ramen) and beverages, one with a built in slope for the professionals to perform a show.. The list goes on!
Each year the snow displays themselves are a part of an International Snow Sculpture Contest, bringing a wide array of diversity to the park. Each team brings their own set of backgrounds, creativity and story to the festival through their display, making each year super unique to the last.
– What to wear –
February in Sapporo is especially cold, usually the coldest month in fact, with temperatures hitting -7 degrees C. You’ll want to be covered from head to toe (& fingers) in warm gears. Wearing thermal inner wear is a REALLY good idea. Packing for Hokkaido’s winter asks for a little more consideration and planning than your normal trip away!
Note: The ground can get be very slippery with such big crowds walking through and pushing the fresh powder down/away (leaving it close to the frozen ice below) so waterproof non-slip sole shoes are highly recommended! If you don’t have any, I recommend buying non-slip cleats from a convenience store which you can attach to the shoes that you do have.
Most importantly – enjoy! 🙂
