Sapporo Snow Festival

A snow festival featuring snow statues and illumination centering around Odori Avenue in Sapporo

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One of the largest events in Hokkaido for which more than 2 million people visit annually. Plenty of events where you can encounter huge snow and ice sculptures only to be found in an environment rich in snow.
Business Hours
Weekdays ( 9:0 AM ~ 6:0 AM )

Open from early February Please check the homepage for opening schedule [close] Open every day during the festival Please check the homepage
Address
Odori Park, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido

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About

The Odori Avenue venue  

The Sapporo Snow Festival takes place mainly at 3 venues, and the events held there can vary depending on the venue. First, the most well-known part of the festival which involves the gigantic snow and ice sculptures is held on Odori Avenue. This is the main venue for the snow festival. Spanning from Odori Avenue Nishi Itchome to Juu-Nichome, there are snow sculptures so large that you have to look up, as well as citizen-made sculptures all over that are small and cute. There are also interactive events such as a snow sculpture that is a slide, a skating rink and a snowboard arena. When it gets dark, the snow and ice sculptures take on a magical appearance through illumination and projection mapping.

The Tsudome venue  

The Sapporo Community Dome (nicknamed Tsudome) is the venue for the extremely popular slide and snow rafting enjoyed by adults and children. The 10m-high and 100m-long giant slide for the kids has no age limits. There are plenty of things to see and do such as a large rest area, concession stands and viewing events. It is loaded with enjoyable snow-themed events that can only be experienced in Hokkaido.

The Susukino venue  

On the street in front of Susukino Station, there are ice sculptures on display. Susukino is Hokkaido’s largest amusement quarter where the sculptures glowing from the neon lights is one recommended feature. There is also photo shooting on Illumination Street and a plaza where you can make contact and even get on the ice. The exciting world of ice with fish and crab totally encased in ice and splendid ice sculptures is something that should not be missed.

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Reviews

7 years ago
Beautiful
It is beautiful.....but also not what I expected. You can see a lot of sculptures, both from Ice and from snow in this festival. It was good but I have seen better in Haerbin, China. There are also a bunch of performances and you can buy food from the many stalls that lined the festival areas. However, the prices for accommodations during this time would double (or even triple!). So, if you want to see this festival I suggest you book your stay months earlier. The same thing also applies to airplane tickets.
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