The Sapporo Snow Festival, a world-class event that colors the winter of Hokkaido, will be held for eight days from February 4 (Tuesday) to February 11 (Tuesday, national holiday), 2025, at three venues in Sapporo City! There are many attractions to see, such as the powerful large snow sculptures that unfold around Odori Park, handmade snow sculptures by citizens, and fantastic ice sculptures lit up. Projection mapping and the latest activities will also be available, making the festival enjoyable for everyone from families to couples. This is a thorough guide to the attractions of the 2025 Snow Festival, useful for both first-time visitors and repeaters!

The 75th Sapporo Snow Festival, a snow festival, will be held for eight days from February 4 (Tuesday) to February 11 (Tuesday, national holiday), 2025. The "Sapporo Snow Festival" started in 1950 when local junior and senior high school students set up six snow sculptures in Odori Park, and it has become one of the three major snow festivals in the world and a major winter event that attracts approximately 2 million tourists from Japan and abroad.

There are three main venues: Odori, Susukino, and Tsudomu. The Odori venue, located in the center of Sapporo City, features a wide variety of snow sculptures, including large, powerful snow sculptures and snow sculptures created by citizens of Sapporo. The Susukino site features fantastic ice sculptures lit up with lights, while the Tsudomu site, located in the suburbs of Sapporo, offers attractions such as a tube slide and a giant slide for families to enjoy together.

■Odori Venue (Odori Park Nishi 1-chome to Nishi 11-chome)
Date and time: Tuesday, February 4, 2025 - Tuesday, February 11, 2025 (national holiday); lights up until 22:00

Various snow sculptures will be displayed from Nishi 1-chome to Nishi 11-chome in Odori Park, the center of Sapporo. There will be 5 large snow sculptures, small and medium-sized snow sculptures, citizens' snow sculptures, winter attractions, etc.

■Susukino venue - Susukino Ice World 2025 (near Minami 4 Nishi 4 to Minami 7 Nishi 4, Chuo-ku, Sapporo)
Date and time: Tuesday, February 4, 2025 - Tuesday, February 11, 2025 (national holiday) Lights up until 23:00 (lights out at 22:00 on the last day)

Under the theme of "Enjoy and touch the ice," large and medium-sized ice sculptures will create a fantastic world of shining neon lights of Susukino when visitors pass through the welcome gate. The popular ice sculptures with fish and 60 other ice sculptures from the ice sculpture competition will be on display, and this year, food and beverage booths will also be set up within the venue.

■Tsudomu Venue (885-1 Sakae-cho, Higashi-ku, Sapporo)
Date and time: Tuesday, February 4, 2024 - Tuesday, February 11, 2024 (national holiday) 10:00 - 16:00

Slides and snow rafts are popular at the Tsudome venue, where parents and children can have fun together. In the indoor space, there will be gourmet booths and rest areas, as well as attractions for children to play. Visitors can enjoy the unique Hokkaido experience of interacting and playing with snow.
Shuttle bus service is available from Sakae-machi Subway Station to the venue.

©J:COM

Visitors can experience snow activities at the Odori 1-chome Snow Activity Zone! Natural Island presents Aroma Footbath, an aroma footbath experience to warm up your cold body. Calendula oil from the company's own farm is blended in the footbath to keep your skin moist and your body warm.

There is also a snowball activity "Whatsaba★Strike", a popular spot "Whatsaba★Into the Snow" where you can take pictures by getting into a human-shaped hole in the snow wall, and "Snowboard Activity" where you can enjoy surfing and skateboarding in snow boots. supported by Upcycle Hokaido", a hands-on experience corner where visitors can enjoy surfing and skateboarding in snow boots.

Yubaba and Friends", the most popular citizen's snow sculpture in 2024

Citizens' snow sculptures are one of the mainstays of the Sapporo Snow Festival. Citizens' groups create humorous works and various snow sculptures reflecting the times. The "Citizens' Snow Sculpture Popularity Contest" is also held. A total of 80 snow sculptures will be created in 2-Chome and 9-Chome.

The second most popular civic snow sculpture of 2024, "Boys, be ambitious!

The third most popular civic snow sculpture in 2024: "Let's play baseball!

Smile Rink Sapporo, where anyone can enjoy ice skating for adults and children, was held at Sapporo Kita 3-jo Hiroba (Akapura) in 2023 and 2024, but in 2025, it will be moved to Odori Park 3-chome and held within the Sapporo Snow Festival venue. Skates are also available for rent! Please enjoy the skating experience in the city of Sapporo in winter.

Smile Rink Sapporo Supported by Shin Ramen

■Date ＆ Time: February 1 (Sat.) - 11 (Tue., holiday), 2025 10:00-21:00
※Last admission 20:30
■Venue：Odori Park 3-chome West (Nishi 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo)
■Prices:
＜General＞
Advance: Adults 2,500 yen / High school students and below 800 yen
Admission: Adults 3,000 yen / High school students and below 1,000 yen
＜Sapporo Citizens＞
Advance: Adults 1,200 yen / High school students and below 300 yen
At the door: Adult 1,500 yen / High school student and under 500 yen
※Including tax and skate rental fee
※Available at Lawson Ticket (L code: 11881)
Click here for details and map information of "Smile Link Sapporo Supported by Shin Ramen

The 3-Chome East venue is a clean venue that uses only environmentally friendly energy sources such as hydrogen and solar power, which do not emit carbon dioxide. The free rest area will use hydrogen-fueled stoves, electricity generated by hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, an exhibition on the Green Transformation (GX) project of Hokkaido and Sapporo City, and a special photo spot with a hydrogen-fueled flame.

© Yasuki Kawakami, Fuse, Kodansha / Tenshura Production Committee

"That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" or "Tenshûra," is an entertainment work in which the main character is reborn as a slime in another world, and uses the skills he has acquired to increase the number of his friends with his wisdom and courage. The snow sculpture will be a representation of "Tempest ni SAPPORO ga Tenshūra no Meshikatta"

The main character, Rimuru, thinks back to Sapporo, which he visited when he was a human before his reincarnation, and has recreated Sapporo in Tempest, the town where he and his friends live! It seems that his best friend, the storm dragon Veldra, was also curious and came to check on him. Please come and see the Sapporo created by Rimuru, which can only be seen at the Sapporo Snow Festival. Tensura original goods, including new products, will also be on sale at the venue.

In addition, on the first day of the festival, a special event will be held on a special stage in front of the snow sculpture with voice actress Miho Okazaki, who plays Rimuru, and voice actress Megumi Toyoguchi, who plays Rafael, the King of Wisdom. This event will also be broadcast live on the YouTube channel "isekai channel @BANDAI NAMCO FILM WORKS".

©Hokkaido Newspaper Co.

A snow sculpture of a thoroughbred running toward the goal of JRA Sapporo Racecourse, one of the tourist attractions in Sapporo, with the Clock Tower, the symbol of Sapporo, in the background, will appear at the 5-Chome venue. In the evening, a projection mapping of the Thoroughbreds as they travel to the finish line will be shown, taking visitors on a tour of famous landmarks in Hokkaido.

In addition, as a new trial, surround sound will be introduced. The projection mapping, which will be performed through 360° speakers in the venue, will be held as entertainment that can be enjoyed not only by watching, but also by listening to.

Five artists and craftsmen from the Arata Hongo Museum of Sculpture, Sapporo, who are active in the Sapporo area, will make an appearance at the Sapporo Snow Festival. Enjoy the snow sculptures, which are different from other snow sculptures, and full of originality and creativity that make the best use of the characteristics of snow.

From the "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters" anime series, the popular "Black Magician Girl" monster used by the main character, Yugi Muto, will appear as a snow sculpture at the Sapporo Snow Festival! Please enjoy the dainty figure that has long fascinated duelists.

©HBC Hokkaido Broadcasting Corporation 2025

The Akarenga Government Office Building, which will appear as a large snow sculpture at the 7-chome site, was created in 1888. Designed in the American Neo-Baroque brick style by engineers who worked for the Hokkaido prefectural government at the time, it served as the center of Hokkaido for more than 80 years, and in 1969 was designated a National Important Cultural Property in recognition of its value as a Meiji Western-style building.

It is now a representative spot in Hokkaido, visited by over 700,000 people annually. The museum has been closed since October 2019 for renovation, but will reopen on July 25, 2025.

©HTB

Otaru's Ginrin-so will appear as a large snow sculpture at the 8-chome "Snow HTB Plaza". Ginrin-so is a herring fishing house built in the late Meiji period by Yasunosuke Inomata, a prosperous herring fisherman. It was located in Yoichi Town at that time, but was moved to Otaru City on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Hokkaido in 1938. As one of the few existing herring houses and a rare herring house where visitors can stay overnight, it still tells the history of the prosperity that took place on the northern sea.

Ginrinso will be registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property (building) in 2023, and is a valuable building that provides visitors with an insight into the culture of Yoichi and Otaru in the past.

The 9-chome "Shimin no Hiroba" (Citizen's Square) is filled with unique snow sculptures created by citizens. The motif of the snow sculpture named "Bountiful Harvest" is sumo wrestling. Sumo has been held as a festival ritual to predict the harvest of the year. Everyone prays for a bountiful harvest this year in gratitude for being able to eat delicious food all year round.

Following the 2-Chome venue, a number of civic snow sculptures will appear at the 9-Chome venue. A total of 80 civic snow sculptures will be created in 2-Chome and 9-Chome.

©CAPCOM

The "Monster Hunter" series is a hunting action game in which players face off against giant monsters in a magnificent natural setting! The ultimate hunting experience awaits you with evolved hunting action and uninterrupted immersion.

At the 10th Street venue, a large snow sculpture of "Archeveld," the signature monster in "Monster Hunter Wilds," and "Otomo Airu," the hunter's support system, will appear! The snow sculpture of Archeveld, known as the "Lonely Shadow of White," is a dynamic, pure-white snow sculpture. Experience the world of "Monster Hunter Wilds" through this powerful snow sculpture.

The winning entry for 2024. Mongolia "THE LEE/Warmth

The International Snow Sculpture Competition, launched in 1974 for the 25th edition, is a competition in which teams from countries, regions, and cities around the world compete to create snow sculptures. The snow sculptures, rich in international color and individuality, are created during the Snow Festival. This is the only popular event in the Odori area where visitors can see the snow sculptures being made up close and personal.

2025 International Snow Sculpture Competition (49th)

■Date: Sunday, February 2 - Friday, February 7, 2025
■Venue: Odori venue, 11-chome Kokusai Hiroba (International Plaza) (Nishi 11-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo)
■Participation: Daejeon Metropolitan City (Korea), Hawaii, Indonesia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Poland, sister city Portland (USA), Singapore, Thailand. (9 teams in total)
■Schedule:
February 2 (Sun): Opening Ceremony and Welcome Party
Monday, February 3: Production begins (until February 6)
February 7 (Fri): Judging and awards ceremony
Click here for details and map information of the 49th 2025 International Snow Sculpture Competition

©Crypton Future Media, INC. www.piapro.net piapro Good Smile Company

Snow Miku (Hatsune Miku) is a character that supports Hokkaido and serves as a tourism ambassador for Sapporo. This time, she is dressed in a "Sparkling Snow Material" themed outfit! The snow sculpture has been made with a different design every year since 2010, making this the 16th year in a row that it has been on display.

The snow sculptures will also be illuminated at night to the theme song "Crystal Snow" of "SNOW MIKU 2025! The lighting will be carried out using the COUGEN system, a PC application developed by Crypton Future Media Inc. that directly controls the lighting (DMX) using music (MIDI).

Susukino Ice World, held at the Susukino venue, is based on the theme of enjoying and touching ice, and when you pass through the welcome gate, large and medium-sized ice sculptures create a fantastic world of shining neon lights of "Susukino". Sixty ice sculptures, including the annual ice sculpture with fish and other ice sculptures from the ice sculpture contest, will line the streets in front of Sapporo Station.

■Main events
・Opening Ceremony: Tuesday, February 4, 18:00- @ Minami 4-jo Nishi 4, in front of Kokonosukino (in front of the main ice sculpture)
・Ice Sculpture Contest: Tuesday, February 4, 14:30 - Wednesday, February 5, 9:30
・Closing Ceremony: February 11 (Tue., holiday) from 21:45 @ Minami 4jo Nishi 4, in front of Coconoskino (in front of the main ice sculpture)

The Tsudomu venue is very popular every year for its slides and snow rafts for parents and children to enjoy together! In the indoor space, there are gourmet booths and rest areas, as well as attractions for children to play, allowing visitors to enjoy the unique Hokkaido experience of interacting and playing with snow throughout the entire venue.

※Attraction details to be announced at a later date.