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Sapporo Snow Festival 2025: An Extravaganza of Snow and Ice
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The Sapporo Snow Festival 2025 will be held February 4 - 11, 2025 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. The impressive sculptures of ice and snow are lit up at night! Read to learn more about the highlights of this magnificent winter event.
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This is the official account of MATCHA's editorial department. Our articles feature useful travel information for visitors to Japan, from how-to guides to recommended places to visit.
The Sapporo Snow Festival: Highlights and Historical Background
The Sapporo Snow Festival, or Sapporo Yuki Matsuri, is an extravaganza of snow and ice held annually in Sapporo City, Hokkaido in early February.
This festival started in 1950 when local high school students built snow sculptures in the city's central Odori Park, which remains the main venue of the event. It has now become a large-scale winter event where not only the Japanese but also people from around the world visit to enjoy snow statue displays of various sizes and shapes.
The theme of the snow statues changes every year. A wide range of topics has been inspiring the creation of these statues, from world-famous and historical buildings like Japanese castles to characters from cartoons. There has even been a giant snow statue 15 meters high and 12 meters wide!
Sapporo Snow Festival Schedule 2025
Odori Site, Susukino Site, Tsudomu Site: February 4 - 11, 2025
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Sapporo Snow Festival Sites and Access from Sapporo Station
There are three sites for the Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo City.
1. Odori Site
The site in Odori Park, stretching east to west through the Sapporo city center, shows powerful giant snow statues spread out over 15 km. You can enjoy looking at the statues all day long and they are lit up at night as well.
Access: From JR Sapporo Station, take either the Toho or Nanboku lines to Odori Station and go out through either exit 2, 5, 6, or 8.
2. Tsudomu Site
This site is set up in the Sapporo Community Dome, under the nickname of 'Tsudome'. It is popular as a site with many attractions to enjoy such as a big snow slide. The hours here are from 9:00-17:00.
Access: Take the Toho line from Sapporo Station and get off at Sakaemachi. Transfer to the shuttle bus, or walk for 15 minutes to the site.
3. Susukino Site
The site in Susukino, the best restaurant district in Sapporo, mainly displays ice statues. Here you can also find "Fureai Hiroba," where you can touch or even ride on ice and elsewhere there is an ice bar where people can enjoy a drink. The exhibition is available to see all day and it is lit up at night.
How to Enjoy the Sapporo Snow Festival
Photo by Sapporo City Economy and Tourism Bureau
Observing the Sapporo Snow Festival during the daytime is nice, but the view at night is even more beautiful because of the illuminations. The Odori site has illuminations until 22:00, and the Susukino site has illuminations until 23:00.
If you would like to experience winter activities or play with snow, the Tsudomu Site is the best place to go. There are sections to make snowmen and do snow rafting as well such as the big snow slide and snow maze. Please allow plenty of time to enjoy this site as there may be a long line depending on the display and some attractions may close earlier than described.
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What to Wear and Bring With You
Attire
The Sapporo Snow Festival takes place in February, the coldest month of the year in Japan. The average temperature in early February is below zero degrees Celsius, and it gets even colder at night. Wear a coat, sweater, and a shawl or scarf around your neck to protect yourself from the cold. Outdoor outfits, such as ski wear, are recommended when you join snow activities like playing with snow. Knit hats, earmuffs, and gloves are also crucial if you will be outside for a long time.
Shoes and Boots
Since the streets are icy, if you are not wearing winter shoes with treads, you run the risk of slipping and falling. But in Hokkaido, you can find attachable treads for your shoes to help them grip better, so it may be a good idea to buy some. These are available for around 1,000 yen at stores in the station or at a shoe store.
Useful Items for the Festival
If you plan to stay outside for a long time you will probably get a runny nose so tissues will be useful. Also if you are feeling cold, you can buy heat packs called Kairo at convenience stores. We also recommend warming yourself up with a nice hot drink.
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This is the official account of MATCHA's editorial department. Our articles feature useful travel information for visitors to Japan, from how-to guides to recommended places to visit.
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