# When is the Sapporo Snow Festival 2027, and how do you plan a visit? > Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 runs 4 to 11 February at Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome. Which site to see first, how to get there, and when to book hotels. - Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/sapporo-snow-festival-2027-dates-sites-guide - Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries) - Published: 2026-09-28 **The Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 runs Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February 2027 at all three sites: Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome.** Those dates are on the organisers' official site as of 27 October 2026; the detailed programme, sculpture themes and opening hours are published later, usually from mid-December. The outdoor sites are free. The hard part is not the festival but the beds: Sapporo hotels fill months ahead for festival week, and 2027 overlaps the Lunar New Year weekend of 6 and 7 February, which brings extra visitors from across East Asia. Hokkaido was not on our route (our Japan trip ran from 18 March to 20 April 2023, Tokyo to Hiroshima), so this guide is built from the organisers' information and transport operators, not from a visit. ## Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 dates at a glance • **Festival period:** Thursday 4 February to Thursday 11 February 2027 (8 days). The last day is National Foundation Day, a Japanese public holiday • **Sites:** Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome all run on the same dates in 2027, according to the official festival site • **Admission:** Odori and Susukino are open-air streets and parks with no ticket. Some activities at Tsudome have had small charges in past years; check the 2027 programme • **Programme release:** the organisers say 2027 details will be added step by step; expect sculpture themes and hours from around mid-December 2026 • **Weekend crowds:** Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February 2027 are both a regular weekend and the Lunar New Year weekend, so expect those two days to be the busiest Some English-language guides disagree on whether 2027 is the 77th or 78th festival. The official site does not show the edition number yet, so we have left it out rather than guess. ## Odori, Susukino or Tsudome: which site is which **Odori Park** is the main site: a long strip of park in central Sapporo, running roughly 1.5 km from west to east between Nishi 1-chome and Nishi 11-chome. This is where the giant snow sculptures stand, built by the Self-Defense Forces and local teams, along with dozens of smaller citizen sculptures, food stalls and evening light shows and projection mapping on the big pieces. The Sapporo TV Tower stands at the eastern end, and its observation deck gives the classic view down the length of the park. Plan at least half a day here, split between daylight and after dark. **Susukino** is Sapporo's nightlife district, a short walk south of Odori. The festival site here is a stretch of Ekimae-dori lined with ice sculptures, lit at night. It is smaller and works best as an evening walk after Odori, finishing with dinner in the area. **Tsudome** is the family site, in a sports dome in Higashi-ku, north-east of the centre. It has snow slides, snow rafting and indoor stalls rather than big sculptures. It closes earlier than the downtown sites, so do it in the morning if you have children with you; adults on a short visit can skip it. If you have one evening, do Odori from the TV Tower end, then walk to Susukino. If you have two days, see Odori in daylight on one and after dark on the other, and add Tsudome or a day trip to Otaru. ## Getting to Sapporo and between the sites Most international visitors fly into **New Chitose Airport (CTS)**, about 40 km south-east of the city. JR Hokkaido's Rapid Airport train runs to Sapporo Station in roughly 40 minutes; check the current fare on JR Hokkaido's site. In a snowstorm, trains and flights can be delayed or cancelled, so do not plan a tight connection on your arrival or departure day. Odori Park is a 10-minute walk from Sapporo Station, or one stop on the subway to Odori Station, where the Namboku, Tozai and Toho lines meet. Susukino has its own station on the Namboku line, one stop south of Odori. For Tsudome, take the Toho line to Sakaemachi Station; during the festival a shuttle bus has run from there in past years, and the walk is about 15 minutes in good conditions. Sidewalks in Sapporo in February are packed snow and ice. Shoes with a real grip, or slip-on ice cleats sold in Sapporo convenience stores and shoe shops, matter more than any other item you pack. Our [Japan in winter guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/japan-in-winter-december-january-february-weather-packing-guide) covers layers and footwear, and [what to wear in Japan](https://clevertourists.com/resources/what-to-wear-in-japan) has the general packing list. ## Hotels: when to book and where to stay Book as soon as you know your dates. Rooms near Odori and Susukino for festival week go months ahead, and prices for the remaining rooms climb as February approaches. A booking with free cancellation, made in autumn, is the safest approach. • **Around Sapporo Station:** best if you arrive and leave by train; Odori is a 10-minute walk or one subway stop • **Odori:** closest to the sculptures, so you can go back to warm up between daylight and evening visits • **Susukino:** more restaurants and bars, and the ice sculptures on the doorstep; the area gets loud late at night • **Nakajima Park and further out on the Namboku line:** usually cheaper, with an easy subway ride to Odori If Sapporo is full, look at Otaru, about 30 to 45 minutes away by JR train. It has its own lantern festival in February, the Otaru Snow Light Path, whose 2027 dates were not published when we checked. ## Building a February trip around the festival Most people pair the festival with skiing or with a wider winter loop. Niseko and the Sapporo-area resorts are a short distance away; our [Niseko vs Hakuba guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/niseko-vs-hakuba-ski-japan-2026-27-season-guide) compares Hokkaido with the Japanese Alps for the 2026-27 season. If you are flying in from Tokyo or Osaka, the same February trip can take in [Shirakawa-go's winter light-up](https://clevertourists.com/resources/shirakawa-go-winter-light-up-2027-reservation-guide) and the city illuminations in our [Japan winter illuminations guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/japan-winter-illuminations-2026-2027-tokyo-osaka-kobe-dates). For an overview of 2027 holidays across the region, including Lunar New Year on 6 February, see our [Asia festival and holiday calendar 2027](https://clevertourists.com/resources/asia-festival-holiday-calendar-2027-dates-by-country) and [Lunar New Year 2027 travel guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/lunar-new-year-2027-asia-where-to-travel-closures). A realistic plan is two nights in Sapporo for the festival, a day in Otaru, then three or four days skiing or in an onsen town. Read our [onsen etiquette guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/japanese-onsen-etiquette-rules-tattoos-and-bathing) before you go if tattoos are a question. Domestic flights from Tokyo to New Chitose are among the busiest routes in Japan, so book them early too. Japanese reserved train seats go on sale one month before departure, so book any Hokkaido train legs as soon as they open. If you are travelling on a rail pass, our [JR Pass guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/japan-bullet-train-shinkansen-tickets-jr-pass-guide) covers how reservations work. ## What we could not confirm yet As of 27 October 2026, the organisers had not published the 2027 sculpture themes, light-up and projection-mapping times, site opening hours, Tsudome activity fees or the shuttle bus timetable. We will update this page when the programme appears. Treat any 2027 hours you see on other sites before mid-December as guesses based on past years. Weather is the other unknown. Snow conditions vary each year and the organisers have had to adapt to warmer winters, so sculptures can soften on a mild day. Late in the festival week, some smaller sculptures may be roped off or repaired. ## Frequently asked questions ### When is the Sapporo Snow Festival 2027? Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February 2027, at Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome. All three sites run on the same dates. ### Is the Sapporo Snow Festival free? Yes, the Odori and Susukino sites are free open-air areas. Some activities at Tsudome have had small charges in past years, so check the 2027 programme. ### Which Sapporo Snow Festival site is best? Odori Park has the giant snow sculptures and evening light shows and is the one to prioritise. Susukino has ice sculptures and suits an evening walk; Tsudome is the family site with snow slides. ### How far ahead should I book a hotel for the Sapporo Snow Festival? As soon as you know your dates. Central hotels fill months ahead for festival week, and in 2027 the Lunar New Year weekend of 6 and 7 February adds extra demand.