Last updated: 11 October 2026
For eight days every February, Sapporo fills its main park with snow sculptures several storeys high, lines a downtown avenue with ice carvings and opens a snow playground for families on the edge of the city. The organizer has published the dates for 2027, but not yet the sculptures or the day-by-day programme. Here is what is confirmed on 11 October 2026, what the 2026 festival looked like so you know what to expect, and how to get in from the airport, stay on your feet and stay online if you are flying in from the US, the UK or Australia.
Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 at a glance
| Details | Status on 11 October 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Festival dates (77th festival) | Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February 2027, 8 days | Published by the organizer on 13 July 2026 |
| Odori site | Odori Park, West 1-chome to West 11-chome | Confirmed. Sculpture list due from mid-December 2026 |
| Susukino site (Susukino Ice World) | Sapporo Ekimae-dori, Minami 4-jo to Minami 6-jo | Confirmed. Programme due from mid-December 2026 |
| Tsudome site (family snow park) | Sapporo Community Dome, Higashi-ku | Same dates as the festival. Programme due from mid-December 2026 |
| Sapporo Snow Sports Park 2027 | 12 to 14 February 2027, Daiwa House Premist Dome | Announced by the organizer |
| Opening hours | Not yet published for 2027 | 2026 hours below, from the official site |
| Nearest airport | New Chitose (CTS) | JR train to Sapporo Station from 33 minutes |
Dates and sites for 2027
The Sapporo Snow Festival Executive Committee announced on 13 July 2026 that the 2027 Sapporo Snow Festival, the 77th, runs for eight days from Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February 2027 (snowfes.com, 13 July 2026). 11 February is a public holiday in Japan, so the last day falls on a holiday.
The three sites are the same as in 2026:
- Odori, along Odori Park from West 1-chome to West 11-chome, with five large snow sculptures at its centre, medium and small sculptures, and the International Snow Sculpture Contest at 11-chome.
- Tsudome, the city's Community Dome sports facility in Higashi-ku.
- Susukino, on Sapporo Ekimae-dori between Minami 4-jo and Minami 6-jo.
The organizer also lists a separate event, Sapporo Snow Sports Park 2027, at the Daiwa House Premist Dome from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 February 2027, the three days after the festival closes.
What is not published yet: the subjects of the large sculptures, the 2027 opening hours and the events on each day. The site pages say the 2027 details will be updated from mid-December 2026 (Odori site page). Until then, plan on the dates, and check the official site before you build an evening around one event.
The 2026 festival, the 76th, ran on exactly the same calendar dates, 4 to 11 February 2026, and the organizer counted 2,539,000 visitors over the eight days (festival history). The festival also has a new look: in August 2026 the committee introduced a new logo, a character called SAPORON and the concept "a festival of thanks for snow" (snowfes.com, 21 August 2026).
The three sites
Odori Park: the big snow sculptures
Odori is the festival most people picture: a park running through the city centre, block after block of sculptures from 1-chome to 11-chome. The official Odori page says the sculptures are lit up until 22:00 (snowfes.com), and the park is at its best after dark, when the lights come on.
What the 2026 edition had, according to the same page, gives an idea of the scale:
| Block (2026 edition) | What was there |
|---|---|
| 1-chome | Snowboard experience, a foot bath and photo booths |
| 2-chome and 9-chome | 80 sculptures made by Sapporo residents |
| 3-chome | Smile Rink, an outdoor skating rink, open 28 January to 11 February 2026, 10:00 to 21:00 |
| 4-chome, 5-chome, 7-chome, 8-chome, 10-chome | Large snow sculptures, one of them about 13 m tall, with projection mapping at night on 5-chome |
| 6-chome | Art and character sculptures |
| 11-chome | The 50th International Snow Sculpture Contest, with 10 teams |
The large sculptures are built by teams over weeks before opening: the 2026 sculpture at 8-chome took about 3,800 personnel from 5 January to 3 February 2026. Expect new subjects in 2027.
Susukino: Susukino Ice World
Susukino is the ice site. In 2026, Susukino Ice World had about 60 ice sculptures along the avenue, an ice carving competition and live carving demonstrations (snowfes.com). The street was closed to traffic for the festival, and in 2026 the hours were:
| Days in 2026 | Pedestrian street open |
|---|---|
| Weekdays (4 to 6 and 9 to 10 February) | 15:00 to 23:00 |
| Weekend (7 and 8 February) | 10:00 to 23:00 |
| Last day (11 February, a holiday) | 10:00 to 22:00 |
Ice reads best at night, so Susukino is a good place to finish an evening after Odori. The 2027 hours had not been published on 11 October 2026.
Tsudome: the family snow park
Tsudome is the site for children: snow slides, tube slides, a snow raft, a snow maze and a sled slope outside, and in 2026 a giant indoor slide about 12 m high and 32 m long, with food stalls inside (snowfes.com). The official page lists the same 2027 dates as the rest of the festival, 4 to 11 February. In 2026 it was open 10:00 to 16:00, and some attractions closed their queues early on busy days.
Tsudome is not in the city centre. The organizer says it is about a 15-minute walk from Sakaemachi Station on the Toho subway line, and that a shuttle bus runs from Sakaemachi Station to the site. Some attractions had age limits or a charge in 2026 (the snow raft was ¥1,200 for adults and ¥600 for preschool children), so check the 2027 details when they are published.
Tsudome has not always run on the festival dates: it ran 14 days in 2016 and was left out entirely in 2023, returning in 2024 (festival history). For 2027, the official page gives 4 to 11 February.
Getting there from New Chitose Airport
New Chitose (CTS) is the airport for Sapporo. Our New Chitose arrival guide covers the free Wi-Fi and where to buy a SIM after arrivals. JR Hokkaido's Airport trains run straight from the station under the terminal to Sapporo Station. Between 9:00 and 16:00 there are six an hour: one Special Rapid (fastest 33 minutes), three Rapid (fastest 37 minutes) and two Semi-Rapid (fastest 43 minutes) (JR Hokkaido).
- No booking needed for most seats. Cars 1 to 3 and 5 to 6 are non-reserved. Car 4 is reserved only, and you need a reserved seat ticket to enter it.
- Tap an IC card at the gate. Kitaca, Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and the other main Japanese IC cards work on the Airport train, as do Mobile Suica and Welcome Suica Mobile.
- Paper tickets are sold from machines (some cash only) and the JR ticket counter, which take cash and credit cards but not QR code payments. In busy periods the machines can have queues, which an IC card avoids.
- Luggage: up to two items per person, each within 250 cm in total dimensions and 30 kg.
Paying for transport: Kitaca and other IC cards
Kitaca is JR Hokkaido's own IC card. JR Hokkaido says Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca and Hayakaken can all be used in the Kitaca area, so if you already have a Suica from a trip to Tokyo, bring it (JR Hokkaido, Kitaca). Two limits worth knowing:
- IC cards only work in the Sapporo and Asahikawa area and the Hakodate area of JR Hokkaido, and not across the two.
- Not beyond Otaru. IC cards cannot be used to stations such as Niseko, Furano or Noboribetsu, so buy a ticket before boarding. Combining the festival with a ski trip? Our Niseko and Hakuba ski season guide covers getting from New Chitose to Niseko.
Weather in February
Sapporo in February is properly cold and snowy. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Sapporo station give these February averages (JMA):
| Sapporo, February, 1991 to 2020 | Normal |
|---|---|
| Daytime high | 0.4 °C (about 33 °F) |
| Night-time low | minus 6.2 °C (about 21 °F) |
| Monthly mean | minus 2.7 °C (about 27 °F) |
| Precipitation | 91.9 mm (about 3.6 inches) |
| Snowfall over the month | 116 cm (about 46 inches) |
| Deepest snow on the ground | 95 cm (about 37 inches) |
| Days with snow | about 25 |
We read these from JMA's table of monthly normals for Sapporo (Ishikari region); the Fahrenheit and inch figures are our conversions. So expect days around freezing, nights well below it, and snow on most days. Evenings in the park, when the lights are on, are the coldest time to be standing still.
Walking on snow and ice
With snow on most days in February, expect packed snow and ice underfoot. The festival's own advice (snowfes.com, how to walk):
- Wear winter shoes with grip, and add anti-slip attachments to the soles. The organizer says these are sold at convenience stores and at the Odori site's official shop.
- Walk where anti-slip sand has been spread.
- Take care on pedestrian crossings, which are slippery.
- Watch for the edge of heated pavement, where there is a small step that is easy to trip on.
- Wear a hat and gloves, so that a fall is less likely to hurt.
- Carry walking poles or a stick if you are unsteady.
Take short steps, keep your hands out of your pockets, and leave more time than the map suggests.
Crowds and where to stay
With some 2.5 million visits over eight days in 2026, the festival draws huge crowds. Hotels in central Sapporo fill up early for the festival dates, so book as soon as your flights are set, and check the cancellation terms. The weekend of 6 and 7 February 2027 and the holiday on 11 February are likely to be the busiest days at the sites, and Odori is most crowded in the evening, when the sculptures are lit. A weekday afternoon is the calmest time to see them up close; come back after dark for the lights.
If you are in Japan through the winter, the Sapporo White Illumination is lit in parts of the city well into the festival period: our Christmas and New Year in Japan guide has its 2026 to 2027 dates.
Before you fly: Visit Japan Web
Japan's Digital Agency runs Visit Japan Web, an online service for travelers arriving from overseas to complete their arrival procedures (immigration and customs) and to use the tax-free shopping service (Digital Agency). Use the official service only. Shopping while you are there? From 1 November 2026 tax-free shopping is a refund you claim at departure: see how the new refund works.
Staying connected at the festival
Your phone does a lot of work in Sapporo in February: the train from the airport, the subway to Tsudome, translating menus, and above all finding your way in the snow and finding each other in the crowd.
- Crowds slow mobile data. On a busy evening at Odori, thousands of phones share the same cells, so messages lag and maps crawl. Agree a meeting point and a time before you go into the crowd, and send your photos once you are out of it.
- Download an offline map before you land, of central Sapporo and the area around Tsudome. Save your hotel and the nearest station. A map that works offline still works when data slows or your battery saver cuts in.
- Keep your phone warm. Apple says very cold conditions can temporarily shorten an iPhone's battery life and even switch it off (Apple Support). Carry it in an inside pocket, close to your body, and bring a power bank kept warm too. If it dies, warm it up before you charge it.
- Download Japanese for offline use in your translation app, for menus, signs and ticket machines.
- Check what your home plan charges for Japan. Verizon's TravelPass is $12 a day per line and AT&T's International Day Pass is $12 a day, while T-Mobile's Experience More includes 5 GB of high-speed data abroad (15 GB on Experience Beyond) before slowing to 256 kbps. Mint Mobile charges for a Minternational Pass outside Canada. See our guides to Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Mint Mobile roaming. UK and Australian networks set their own rates for Japan, often as a daily fee, so check your plan before you go.
A daily pass adds up over a week in Hokkaido. A travel eSIM installed at home is the simpler fix: a data-only line that works when you land at New Chitose, with your usual number still on your home SIM for calls and texts. Our Japan plans are Japan's own, from a few days to a month, and the Japan page also lists the Asia Pacific and global bundles if your trip goes on to Korea, Taiwan or further. Check that your phone supports eSIM, follow the install guide for iPhone or Android on Wi-Fi before you fly, and compare plans on our Japan eSIM page.
FAQ
When is the Sapporo Snow Festival 2027?
The organizer gives the dates as Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February 2027, eight days, at the Odori, Susukino and Tsudome sites. It is the 77th festival. On 11 October 2026 the sculptures, opening hours and daily programme had not been published; the official site says they will be updated from mid-December 2026.
Is the Sapporo Snow Festival free?
The official site pages list no entry fee for the Odori, Susukino or Tsudome sites, but some attractions charge: in 2026, for example, the snow raft at Tsudome cost ¥1,200 for adults and ¥600 for preschool children.
How late are the snow sculptures lit up?
The official Odori site page says the sculptures are lit until 22:00. In 2026 the Susukino ice sculpture street was open until 23:00 on most days, and until 22:00 on the last day.
How do I get from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo?
Take JR Hokkaido's Airport train from the station under the terminal to Sapporo Station. The fastest Special Rapid takes 33 minutes and the Rapid 37 minutes, with six trains an hour between 9:00 and 16:00. Most seats need no reservation, and you can tap through the gate with Kitaca, Suica or another Japanese IC card.
How cold is Sapporo in February?
Very. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991 to 2020 normals give an average high of 0.4 °C (about 33 °F) and an average low of minus 6.2 °C (about 21 °F), with 116 cm of snowfall over the month. Wear warm layers, gloves, a hat and shoes with grip.
Will my phone work at the Snow Festival?
US, UK and Australian phones roam in Japan, but many plans charge by the day, and data slows in the evening crowds at Odori. Check your plan's Japan rate, download an offline map, keep the phone warm, and consider a travel eSIM if your plan charges for every day abroad.
Facts checked on 11 October 2026 against the official Sapporo Snow Festival site (snowfes.com: the 2027 announcement of 13 July 2026, the Odori, Susukino and Tsudome site pages, the festival history, the August 2026 news and the snow walking advice), JR Hokkaido (the Airport train and Kitaca pages), the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991 to 2020 normals for Sapporo, the Digital Agency's Visit Japan Web page, Apple Support, and our Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Mint Mobile roaming guides. The photos are illustrations.