2027 Sapporo Snow Festival Guide: Everything You Need to Know
The annual Sapporo Snow Festival takes place in February every year, and if you’re in the area, it’s a bucket list visit that you can’t miss! We have just moved from the UK to Sapporo and got to witness the 76th snow festival which took place in February 2026, and it was absolutely incredible.
Sapporo is the second snowiest city in the world, so the festival makes perfect sense, and in its impending 77th year, you can expect bigger and better with 100’s of massive, grand and small small sculptures to view, and the best part? It’s completely FREE to attend! This makes it the ideal, inexpensive day out for kids and adults, there’s plenty to see, interactive elements (there was even a sled ride down a cup noodle sculpture in 2026!) and come hungry, as there are plenty of food stands in Odori Park offering a huge variety of dishes.
If you’re planning your trip to Sapporo in 2027, here’s all the important dates of the Snow Festival in 2027, how to get there, and what to expect from your trip!
Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 Dates
The 77th Sapporo Snow Festival is scheduled to take place from February 4–11, 2027 in Odori Park. Expect impressive snow sculptures, interactive activities, and don’t forget to come with an empty stomach, as there’s plenty of food stands to try a mixture of dishes from.
How To Get Here: Odori Park is the main venue of the Sapporo Snow Festival, stretching for around 1.5km through the centre of the city.
Address:
Odori Nishi 1–12-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0042
How to get there from central Sapporo:
- On foot: Around a 10–15 minute walk from Sapporo Station via the underground walkway.
- By subway: Take the Namboku, Tozai, or Toho Line to Odori Station — the park is directly above the station.
- Parking: There is plenty of parking nearby, we personally like to park in the Sapporo Station park and walk over from there.
Because it runs right through downtown, it’s very easy to reach from most central hotels, and you’ll likely pass through it naturally while exploring the city.
Our top tips for attending as a local: Wear proper snow boots and spikes as the ground gets incredibly icy during February. Layer up with lots of warm clothing, and don’t forget to grab some heat pads for your shoes, they help make a cold day outside so much more comfortable!
Snow Sculptures
In 2026 during the 76th annual Snow Festival, there was over 200 different snow sculptures to view, spanning across the entire 1.5km stretch of Odori Park. You’ll need a good few hours to do it all justice!
During February, the floor conditions here can be incredibly icy and you need to take extra care. I recommend wearing proper snow boots, and adding on spikes for extra measure. As a local, they really do help on those super icy days and there is usually limited gravel on the area.
The care and attention to detail that goes into the individual sculptures really is awe-inspiring, there was a mixture of small and massive sculptures so there is something to take in at every stage of the park.
In the evening, many of the large snow sculptures are transformed with projection mapping shows, where colourful animations and music are projected directly onto the snow, making it one of the most magical times to visit.
If you have the time during your visit, we really recommend viewing in the day and evening to watch how they completely transform.
Ice Sculptures In Susukino
The Susukino site offers a completely different atmosphere to Odori Park, focusing on intricate ice sculptures rather than large snow displays. Located in Sapporo’s entertainment district, this area transforms into “Susukino Ice World” during the festival.
In 2026, around 60 ice sculptures line the street between Minami 4-jo and Minami 6-jo, creating an open-air gallery you can walk through.
Enjoy The Many Food Stands!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Japanese festival, without plenty of food stands to enjoy! It’s one of our favourite things to do, and we always arrive with an empty stomach and head around grabbing a different snack from the many vendors and sharing it as we go. It’s a great way to take in the sights, whilst trying delicious food on the way.
We tried hot chocolates, ribs, potato mochi, udon, pizza and a churro style hot dog this year! Most of the vendors accept both cash and card so you don’t need to worry about going without if you forget cash for this trip.
The Sapporo Snow Festival is a must visit in Japan during winter, and a true bucket list item to tick off! Want to see what else we got up to? Have a look at our YouTube video below where we take you around the Sapporo Snow Festival, and show you the many items of food we tried on the day! If you have any questions about the festival, please feel free to leave us a comment below!
