Sapporo Snow Festival: What to See, How to Enjoy

In Japan’s northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido, the first snowfall of the year can hit any time between late September and early November. From there, the ground can stay covered until as late as April or May of the following year.

True, the snow can be frustrating to deal with. Shoveling becomes a daily or even twice-daily chore. It’s best to keep some salt or sand in the back of your car in case of icy roads.

But the people of Hokkaido know how best to handle all this snow: by celebrating it. The prefecture’s largest event, the annual Sapporo Snow Festival, takes these mountains of snow and turns them into stunning works of art.

In early February, just a few months after Sapporo’s Odori Park transforms into a German-inspired Christmas market, it becomes the setting for the Snow Festival. Odori Park is home to professional and amateur snow sculptures and booths selling merchandise.

In recent years, the Snow Festival added two more sites: Susukino and Tsudome. These feature ice sculptures and rides and activities for children, respectively. Snow sculptors both amateur and professional from all over the world can reserve plots in Odori Park and use Hokkaido’s most abundant resource to design and craft a sculpture.

The History of the Sapporo Snow Festival

Sapporo held its first Snow Festival in 1950. The people of Sapporo were using Odori’s 7-Chome block as a snow dumping ground during the winter. The government of Sapporo wanted to do something with all the excess snow.

The first show featured only six sculptures, including a snow replica of the Venus de Milo. All sculptures were made by local high school and junior high students. The event also featured snowball fights, dancing, and dog races. Although held for only a single day, the festival was an unexpected success, with an estimated 50,000 people intending.

Following its immediate success, the Sapporo Snow Festival grew rapidly in duration and scale. In 1954, members of the Japan Self-Defense Force began taking part. This added labor allowed for the creation of the Festival’s now-signature giant snow sculptures. The largest sculptures typically stand 10 to 15 meters high.

Visitors From Around the World

International tourists began attending the Festival in the 1960s and 1970s. The international popularity of the event skyrocketed in 1976 when the annual theme was the United States Bicentennial. In 1987, the government extended the Snow Festival’s duration to its current seven days due to the increased number of visitors.

During the 1990s and 2000s, the Festival expanded from just Odori to its current three sites. The advent of projection mapping technology allowed for the creation of beautiful nighttime light shows projected against the large sculptures.

These days, the Sapporo Snow Festival runs for seven days across three venues every year. Large snow sculptures have celebrated everything from the Winter Olympics Games to the introduction of the Shinkansen in Hokkaido to the anniversary of the video game series Final Fantasy. The Festival displays 60 and 100 snow sculptures every year, with over half created by Sapporo’s citizens. In some years, the Snow Festival has also featured tube rides, curling rinks, a mock ski slope with demonstrations, and musical performances from both Japanese and foreign artists.

An estimated two to three million visitors attend every year. [1]

Tips for Visiting the Snow Festival

If you make your way to Sapporo to see the Snow Festival, you will find yourself with lots to do. There are sculptures to view, attractions to experience, food to taste, and so much more. Here are a few tips – from one of our UJ staff who visited the Snow Festival themselves! – to make the most of your time in Hokkaido’s wintery capital.

Stay Warm

• Bring plenty of warm clothing, and wear layers. Regardless of the weather, all that snow and ice in one place means that it gets pretty cold, especially at night. Make sure to bring plenty of warm clothing to wear so that you can enjoy the Snow Festival comfortably.
• Don’t forget proper footwear. With so many people visiting the Snow Festival, the paths between the sculptures can quickly get slushy and icy. Always wear sturdy shoes with solid soles, such as winter boots, when visiting any Snow Festival sites. [2]

Experience Sapporo Culture

• Come back once the sun goes down. Many of the larger snow sculptures featured in the event will have projection mapping light shows held regularly throughout the night, generally every 15-20 minutes. These are stunning technical-musical extravaganzas that you definitely don’t want to miss!
• Taste the local delicacies. The Snow Festival’s Susukino Site is right near Sapporo’s famous Ramen Alley, a street filled with dozens of delicious ramen shops. It’s the perfect place to grab a nice hot meal while enjoying the Snow Festival. Plus, if you’re a drinker, you’ll definitely want to try the signature Sapporo beer – in particular, Sapporo Classic, which is sold exclusively in Hokkaido.

Travel and Transit

• Tsudome is worth the trip. While the Odori and Susukino Sites are within walking distance of each other, the Tsudome Site is located at the Sapporo Community Dome outside the city center. During the festival, shuttle buses run from the Odori Site and JR Sapporo Station every 15 minutes. It’s definitely worth the trip, especially if you’ve got kids with you – Tsudome is the most interactive part of the Festival, featuring snowmobile rides, sliding slopes, a snowman making station, and more!
• Try an underground stroll. While there are some subway stations closer to the Odori and Susukino sites, you can also walk directly to the Festival from JR Sapporo Station. One way to get there is via the underground shopping malls, Apia and Aurora Town, which keeps you warm as well as provides a perfect opportunity for purchasing some local delicacies or souvenirs!

The Snow Festival Returns in 2023

2023 will see the return of a fully in-person Snow Festival following several years of cancelled or virtually held Snow Festivals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will run from February 4 to February 11.

The Odori and Susukino Sites will be active, but the Tsudome Site will not be open in 2023 due to the difficulty in maintaining social distancing. The Odori Site will also not sell food or drink, although it will sell commemorative merchandise such as chopsticks, towels, and clothing.

In past years, Sapporo held a competition specifically for international snow sculptures. Due to travel restrictions, this competition will not be held in 2023.

The 2023 Snow Festival – the 73rd – will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Sapporo’s incorporation as a city. Large sculptures will include a Hokkaido Thoroughbred racehorse and a snow version of the new stadium currently being built for the Nippon Ham Fighters, Sapporo’s baseball team. Other planned sculptures include a Tyrannosaurus rex, Snow Hatsune Miku, the adorable Vocaloid from Hokkaido, and a Florence Nightingale-themed sculpture honoring medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. [3]

If you find yourself in Japan during February, you should definitely make the Sapporo Snow Festival part of your itinerary. This celebration of all things winter is the perfect reminder that winter isn’t just frozen pipes, high heating bills and the constant need to shovel your driveway. Every year, this festival truly helps visitors from all over the world remember just how beautiful – and fun – winter can be!

Sources

[1] さっぽろ雪まつりの歴史. https://www.snowfes.com/about/history/

[2] 冬の札幌の天気・服装. https://www.snowfes.com/about/winter-in-sapporo/

[3] 第73回さっぽろ雪まつり『大雪像』のテーマを公開！https://www.snowfes.com/news/477.html