Sapporo Snow Festival 2027: Dates, Venues and How to Plan

The short answer: the 77th Sapporo Snow Festival runs for eight days, from Thursday 4 February to Thursday 11 February 2027, a public holiday. The organisers confirmed the dates and the three sites, Odori, Susukino and Tsudome, in July 2026. Entry is free. Book your Sapporo hotel first, because festival week fills early.

The three venues

• Odori site: about 1.1 km of Odori Park, from West 1-chome to West 11-chome. Five large snow sculptures stand at 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10-chome, with smaller ones in between and the International Snow Sculpture Contest at 11-chome. It is a park, so you can walk it at any hour, and the sculptures are lit until 22:00. Station: Odori, on all three subway lines.
• Susukino site: ice sculptures along Ekimae-dori, the main street of the nightlife district, between Minami 4-jo and Minami 6-jo. Lit until 23:00, and until 22:00 on the last night. Station: Susukino, on the Namboku Line.
• Tsudome site: the family site, with snow slides, tube sliders and indoor play areas at the Tsudome community dome, open 10:00 to 16:00. Take the Toho Line to Sakaemachi, then the shuttle bus or a walk of about 15 minutes.

Some Tsudome rides cost extra, and in 2026 the tube slider gave out numbered tickets from 10:00 on weekends and holidays. The organisers will post the 2027 Tsudome programme from mid-December 2026.

Right after the festival, Sapporo Snow Sports Park 2027 runs at the Daiwa House Premist Dome from 12 to 14 February. The sculptures don’t linger: they are taken down the morning after the last day, for safety.

When to go

Weekdays are calmer than the weekend of 6 and 7 February or the 11 February holiday. See Odori twice, once in daylight for the detail and once after dark for the lights. Susukino is best late in the evening.

Getting there

Fly into New Chitose Airport. The JR Rapid Airport train reaches Sapporo Station in about 40 minutes, and Odori is a short walk or one subway stop from there. Heavy snow can delay flights and trains, so leave some slack on the day you fly home.

A 3-day plan

• Day 1, Odori and Susukino: walk the Odori sculptures in daylight, have miso ramen for dinner, then see the Susukino ice sculptures lit up.
• Day 2, Otaru: take the JR train along the coast to Otaru, under an hour away, for the snowy canal and old warehouses. In 2027 the Otaru Snow Light Path runs from 6 to 13 February, so its lanterns overlap the second half of the festival. Come back for Odori at night, or stay for the lanterns.
• Day 3, Tsudome or a hot spring: the slides at Tsudome if you have kids, or half a day at Jozankei hot spring town in the hills. Fly out in the evening.

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What to wear

Sapporo’s February normals are a high of 0.4°C and a low of minus 6.2°C, says the Japan Meteorological Agency. Pavements are often icy, so the organisers recommend winter shoes with grooved soles, or slip-on grips, which cost about ¥1,000 at the official shops, convenience stores and station kiosks. Wear a shirt and a sweater under a proper winter coat, plus a hat, ear muffs and gloves. What to pack for Japan in December to February has the full list.

What to book now

• Your Sapporo hotel, near Odori, Susukino or Sapporo Station, on a rate you can change.
• Flights into New Chitose, with a spare half day before your flight home.
• A night in Otaru, if you want the Snow Light Path after dark.

Plan Sakura keeps the festival days, the hotel and the flights in one itinerary, with the weather on each day and an interactive map of each day’s stops. Japan in winter covers the rest of the season.