- This event has passed.
Sapporo Lilac Festival
May 20 @ 9:00 am – May 31 @ 10:00 pm
Nearest subway station: Odori Park on the Namboku Line.
The arrival of the Sapporo lilac festival is a true sign that spring has arrived in Sapporo, Hokkaido! Taking place in the iconic, and central Odori Park is the much awaited Sapporo Lilac Festival.
It features over 2,000 lilac trees, live music, wine tasting and plenty of opportunities to eat delicious food from the street vendors on site.
In 2026, for the first time they have introduced tea making, kimono fitting, flower arranging displays and calligraphy.
We definitely recommend stopping by the tea making stands to take part in a workshop or enjoy a cup of freshly brewed matcha, green tea or hojicha.
The lilac trees line the entire length of Odori Park so there’s plenty of opportunities to get photos of them, or with them! Some of them are beautifully draping over benches so you can get some lovely photos sat on a bench with the lilacs.
The food! There are unlimited food choices here, and you can pretty much get everything from pizzas and burgers to Japanese food and sweet treats at the Sapporo Lilac Festival.
If you really want to lean into the lilac theme and get something super aesthetic, we recommend the Lilac Mont Blanc which was incredible! With a Mont Blanc topping which is so satisfying to watch from the machine, with an ice cream, biscuit and fruit sauce inner.
There’s live entertainment through the days, and if you fancy yourself a dab hand with the piano, you can give it a go, or listen to someone else taking centre stage on it. The atmosphere is so peaceful and relaxing.
Just lilacs and food? Think again! There are antique stalls with plenty of goodies to explore and a huge craft market with sellers from Sapporo.
Think handmade gifts for friends, jewellery purchases for yourself or kawaii keyrings to add to your bag. This was one of our favourite areas in the festival as there are so many unique items for sale.
If you like beautiful Japanese ceramics, you won’t leave here disappointment, there are so many incredible, and very talented makers.
*Please bring cash, whilst the food and drink stands mostly accept card, many of the individual craft sellers only accept cash and we don’t want you to leave anything behind, disappointed!
For the first time in the history of the Sapporo Lilac Festival they have a flower arranging area, showcasing some go the beautiful arrangements that have been put together with lilacs, and other seasonal flowers such as peonies and sunflowers. It’s so incredible to see how creative you can be with flower arranging, and definitely a spot we recommend stopping by during your visit.
If you love lilac flowers, don’t leave without purchasing a lilac sapling on your way out, they are often giving them out for free to people who come here on the first day of the festival too!
Just be mindful that weather can be changeable in May with temperatures around mid teens to mid twenties, so do pack a lightweight jacket, and sun protection for all weathers.
The weekend can get really busy, as do after school hours, so if you can plan ahead we recommend going mid-week in the morning.
In terms of accessibility, they have accessible stations at the food and drink area, and the paths in the festival are wide enough for wheelchair access. There’s also toilets situated throughout Odori Park, and with disabled access as well.
Here’s a look at what we got up to at the Sapporo Lilac Festival 2026 below and what you can expect from your day here!