Travel Tips

Sapporo Snow Festival 2026: Official dates, locations, and what to see

Discover the magic of the Sapporo Snow Festival 2026! Explore giant snow sculptures, glowing ice streets, and family-friendly activities in Hokkaido.

Every February, Hokkaido’s main city, Sapporo, transforms into a winter paradise with glowing ice streets, giant snow sculptures, and family-friendly winter activities. The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the world’s biggest winter festivals, attracting more than two million visitors, and in 2026, it’s set to be even bigger than before!

Here’s a snapshot of the key details for Sapporo Snow Festival 2026:

Official Dates	February 4–11, 2026
Main Venues	– Odori Park (large snow sculptures & illuminations) – Susukino Ice World (ice sculptures, ice bars) – Tsudome Snowland (family-friendly snow activities)
Opening Hours	– Odori Park: Open all day; illuminations typically until around 22:00 – Susukino: Illuminations until late evening – Tsudome: Generally 9:00–17:00 (indoor & outdoor activities)
Admission	Free
Best Time to Visit	Daytime for seeing sculpture details, evening for magical illuminations and atmosphere. Mid-week has fewer crowds than weekends
Highlights	Giant snow sculptures, intricate ice carvings, nighttime illuminations, snow slides, tubing, local food stalls, contests

In this article

Odori Park: The heart of the Snow Festival

Source: Shutterstock

Odori Park is the main festival venue, stretching about 1.5 km through central Sapporo. During the festival, it transforms into a winter art gallery with massive snow sculptures up to 15 meters tall.

The sculptures are often themed on cultural icons, landmarks, anime characters, or historic buildings, and are illuminated at night, making for magical photos and evening strolls.

Odori Park is also the International Snow Sculpture Competition zone, where teams from around the world carve ice art directly from packed snow.

Throughout the site, you’ll also find various food and drink stalls, including:

Hokkaido specialties like miso ramen, grilled corn, and seafood skewers
Local snacks such as butter potatoes, zangi (Hokkaido fried chicken), and sweet taiyaki
Hot drinks, including cocoa, mulled wine, amazake, and steaming cups of Hokkaido milk

Photography tips: You’ll get an amazing aerial view of the illuminated park from the Sapporo TV Tower.

Susukino: The Ice Sculpture Street

Source: Shutterstock

As Japan’s largest entertainment district (north of Tokyo), you can expect Susukino to be part of the action during the Sapporo snow festival 2026. Plus, Susukino is just a 10-minute walk from Odori Park, so you can easily visit both on the same day.

Ice statues line the main street, ranging from mythical creatures to delicate objects frozen inside blocks of ice. The detail of these ice sculptures is nothing short of impressive, and they are lit up until 10 pm every day, making them look like something out of a fairytale.

Another must-see here is the ice bar, where you can order an ice-cold beer or a creative cocktail served in an ice glass. Another huge draw is the annual ice queen contest, a female beauty pageant, where the winner meets festival visitors and poses for photos.

However, note that the roads in Susukino can get extremely slippery, especially with melted snow refreezing at night. So make sure you have winter boots with good traction on your Japan packing list.

Photography tips: Head here at night when the neon signs from the bars and restaurants reflect off the transparent ice, turning the street into a kaleidoscope of color.

Tsudome Site: Family-friendly snow activities

Tsudome is the festival’s family-oriented site, so expect lots of fun activities, including snow slides, tubing lanes, snow mazes, and snow rafting. The festivities here are more interactive than Odori and Susukino, which perfectly balance out the sculpture-focused sites.

What makes Tsudome even better is that there is a warm, indoor area you can retreat to when the cold gets too much. Inside the large dome-shaped building, you’ll find food stands and a kids’ playground.

Tsudome is open during the daytime only (from 10:00 to 16:00), so many people come here first before taking the 15-minute subway ride to the other two festival sites.

Travel tip: If you’re coming with kids, visit in the morning just after the site opens, as there will be shorter lines for the slides and tubing lanes.

What to see this year (2026 highlights)

The Sapporo snow festival has been running since 1950, and every year, it seems to expand and evolve further.

The Sapporo Snow Festival 2026 official dates are from February 4–11, and this year, there are expected to be over 200 sculptures. These include:

Snow sculptures over 10 meters tall: Including a tower that measures over 12 meters (40 feet)!
Strong anime themes: In recent years, anime-themed sculptures have been among the standouts, including Pokémon and One Piece, and in 2026, it’s expected to be the same.
Major architectural landmarks: The Former Hokkaido Government Office (Red Brick Building) and Otaru’s historic buildings are often present.

What’s more, if you’re in Hokkaido in January, which is the country’s peak ski season and one of the best times to visit Japan, you can get involved in the festival preparations.

For one day only, a limited number of people can go to watch these large snow sculptures being made. The special tour takes place on January 24, and you need to apply to win a space.

Other places worth visiting while you’re in Sapporo

Scenic and culturally rich, Hokkaido is one of the best places to visit in Japan, so there is plenty to explore beyond the Sapporo snow festival.

When planning your Japan trip, here are our top recommendations of things to do and see in and around Sapporo:

Sapporo Beer Museum: Here you can learn about Hokkaido’s brewing history and taste classic Hokkaido brews in a charming historic brick building.
Mount Moiwa Ropeway: Take the cable car to the top of Mount Moiwa for sweeping views of Sapporo. It makes the perfect romantic sunset or nighttime outing as the city lights twinkle after dark.
Otaru Canal (day trip): Just a short trip from Sapporo, Otaru is a picture-perfect canal lined with old stone streets, decorated with sparkling lights. Here you’ll find charming shops selling glassware, music boxes, and local sweets.
Shiroi Koibito Park: A must for all chocolate lovers! At this whimsical chocolate factory, you can take a tour, try the sweets, and watch chocolate-making demonstrations.

Stay connected in Sapporo with Holafly

With so much winter wonder to see and do, the last thing you’ll want is to waste time searching for public WiFi or worrying about expensive charges for roaming in Japan.

With a Holafly eSIM, you’ll get fast, reliable, and unlimited data throughout your stay in Japan, allowing you to capture, share, and navigate the festival’s highlights without stress or roaming fees.

Experience Sapporo at its brightest with a Holafly eSIM for Japan!