The Sapporo Snow Festival is a famous snow and ice festival in Hokkaido. In 2025, it will be held for eight days from February 4–11. One of this delightful festival's charms is enjoying the many strikingly detailed snow sculptures exhibited.

Since its start in 1950, the festival has been an annually celebrated winter tradition.

Sapporo is located in an area with heavy snowfall, with up to five meters of snowfall per year. To create the sculptures, heavy machinery is used to gather 30,000 tons of snow each year.

The sculptures at the festival are created with a variety of themes, including famous buildings and World Heritage sites such as Japanese castles, Japanese and Hokkaido culture, and subcultures such as sports, movies, manga, anime, and gaming.

The sight of these snow sculptures attracts visitors from all over the world, and in 2024, the number of attendees reached around 2.39 million. It’s an event where you can fully experience the snow, cold, and the unique charm of Hokkaido in various ways.

The 75th Sapporo Snow Festival will take place across three venues: Odori, Tsudome, and Susukino. The main highlights will include five large snow sculptures, along with numerous medium and small ones, as well as sculptures created by local residents. Winter attractions and activities are also planned for the event.

Event Details
・Held from February 4–11, 2025 at the following venues:
・Odori Venue (From Nishi 1-chome to Nishi 11-chome)
・Tsudome Venue (Sapporo Community Sports Exchange Facility "Tsudome")
・Susukino Venue (From Minami 4-jo to Minami 6-jo, Nishi 3 and 4-chome along Ekimae-dori)

Let's take a look at how the giant snow sculptures used in previous years were made.

Every year, the design for the massive snow statues starts around the autumn of the previous year. Based on the draft, a 1/40 scale model is created. Then blueprints are drawn, and then a discussion about how to go about producing the statues.

The snow used for a giant snow sculpture can pile up to a four to five-story building and fill 600 trucks. Clean snow is collected from areas around Sapporo for a total volume of about 6,000 trucks.

On the location of the sculpture, the snow is piled up using heavy machinery, and a scaffold is built. The snow is then bound and stabilized. After creating a rough shape with heavy machinery, the statue is brought to life by hand.

This is an elaborate task that goes on throughout the night. Once the shape of the snow sculpture is created, other smaller components that have been sculpted are added, creating all the fine details.

By Train
JR New Chitose Airport Station → JR Sapporo Station → Sapporo Station on the Sapporo Municipal Subway (Namboku Line or Toho Line) → Odori Station (Approx. 50 minutes).

From JR New Chitose Airport Station, take the Airport rapid service train bound for Otaru on the Chitose Line. Get off at Sapporo Station and head towards the West Exit to take Sapporo Subway’s Namboku Line train bound for Makomanai. You can also choose to take the East Exit and head towards Sapporo Subway’s Toho Line train bound for Fukuzumi. Both trains will take you to Odori Station.

By Bus
Two bus companies operate services to the Sapporo Snow Festival area. Chuo Bus services bound for Odori Park depart from the stop located near Arrival Gate 4 on the first floor of the domestic terminal building. The duration of the ride is approximately 1 hour and 6 minutes.

Hokuto Kotsu buses, on the other hand, depart from in front of Arrival Gate 2 and also stop near Odori Park. The duration of the ride is around 1 hour and 8 minutes.

Odori Station serves as a hub for three different subway lines: the Tozai Line, the Namboku Line, and the Toho Line. Each line has its own set of platforms and destinations, so it's essential to choose the right one depending on your desired location within Odori Park.

If you're heading towards 3-Chome or 4-Chome, the Namboku Line is your best bet, while the Toho Line is a better option for getting to 1-Chome and 2-Chome, which are located near the Sapporo TV Tower.

You can reach the venue by walking straight from JR's Sapporo Station, which takes around 10-15 minutes. To avoid the cold weather, you can use the Sapporo Underground Pedestrian Space (Chikaho) to easily get to the part of Odori Park located in 3-Chome and 4-Chome.

The concourse has multiple exits that directly connect to different areas of the park, making it a great option for those looking to conveniently walk to their desired destination.

The Sapporo Snow Festival will be held in 2025! Why not experience this amazing festival for yourself?

The information in this article is current as of September 2024. For the latest updates, please check the official website.