The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of Hokkaido’s best-known winter events. It spreads across three sites in and around the city, and each one offers something different. This guide covers the 2027 dates, what the three sites are, and how to plan your days around them.

Step 1: Check the dates

According to the official Sapporo Snow Festival website, the 77th festival runs from February 4 (Thursday) to February 11 (Thursday, a national holiday), 2027. All three sites share the same dates. The official site says that detailed information for the 2027 festival will be updated from mid-December 2026, so check it again before you book.

Step 2: Know the three sites

Odori Site. This is the main site, in Odori Park in central Sapporo. The official site describes large snow sculptures and an international snow sculpture contest, and lists illumination until 10 pm for the 2027 dates.

Susukino Site. This site is on Sapporo Ekimae Street in Susukino, between Minami 4 Jo-dori and Minami 6 Jo-dori. It features ice sculptures instead of snow. For the 2026 festival the organizers listed 60 ice sculptures and lighting until 11 pm (10 pm on the final day).

Tsudome Site. This is the site for playing in the snow, with slides, snow rafts and other attractions, plus indoor gourmet booths and rest areas. The official site lists 10 am to 4 pm for the 2027 dates and says some attractions may close earlier depending on how crowded it is. It is about a 15-minute walk from Sakaemachi Station on the Toho subway line, and a shuttle bus runs from the station to the site.

The site details above are from the festival’s 2026 pages. The sculptures and hours change every year, so check the official 2027 pages when they are posted.

Step 3: Plan your days around the sites

The Odori and Susukino sites are lit in the evening, and Tsudome is a daytime site. A simple plan is to visit Tsudome during the day and the lit sites in the evening. If you only have one evening, Odori Park is the main site. Check the official site for hours before you go.

Step 4: Book early

The festival runs for only eight days, and it is held at a popular time of year to visit Hokkaido. Book your flights and your hotel as early as you can, and check the cancellation terms before you pay.

Step 5: Plan how you will get from the airport

Sapporo is the base for all three sites, and most international visitors arrive at New Chitose Airport, about 45 km from central Sapporo. According to the Sapporo city tourism site, the fastest way into the city is the JR Rapid Airport train, which takes about 37 minutes to Sapporo Station. The same site lists the airport bus at about 70 minutes and a taxi at about 60 minutes. Check the current timetable and fares on the official JR Hokkaido website before you go.

Step 6: Consider a guided tour

If you would like help with the cold, the crowds or the transport, a guided tour can take care of the timing and the route. See our guide on how to choose a private tour in Kyoto for what to check before you book a guide in Japan.

Where to book

If you are comparing hotels for the festival dates, you can search hotels in Sapporo on Trip.com. Check each hotel’s cancellation terms before you pay.

Sources: Sapporo Snow Festival official website (festival overview for 2027; Odori, Susukino and Tsudome site pages, 2026 details); Welcome to Sapporo, the official Sapporo tourism site (access from New Chitose Airport, in Japanese). Photos: Eckhard Pecher (CC BY 2.5), t-konno (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons. The photos show past festivals.

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• Nikko from Tokyo: Day Trip or Overnight Stay?

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