Hokkaido's premier winter event, the Sapporo Snow Festival, has officially kicked off for 2026. This year marks the 76th festival, featuring over 200 snow and ice sculptures across three sites: Odori, Susukino, and Tsudome. From day one, the festival has been bustling with visitors from Japan and abroad. In this article, a local writer takes you on a tour of the Odori Site, sharing a firsthand report on the must-see snow sculptures, interactive attractions, and key highlights you won't want to miss.

A visit to the TV Tower's observation deck is also recommended

At the base of the TV Tower in Odori 1-chome, there's a "Yuki-ita" activity corner where you can simulate snowboarding on a special board while keeping your shoes on. Here, you can also have your photo taken with a Fujifilm Instax "Cheki" camera, and they'll print your memorable picture on the spot.

"instax™ 'Cheki' presents Yuki-ita Activity"

A great way to warm up your cold body! The footbath corner

The "Food Hospitality Market" is also being held under the TV Tower (until Feb. 12), with 12 food stalls.

A lineup of unique citizen snow sculptures

Here you'll find the citizen snow sculptures, which could be called the heart of the Snow Festival. A total of 80 sculptures created by citizen groups are on display across 2-chome and 9-chome. A popularity contest is also being held, and you can vote through the official Snow Festival app, "Sapporo Gourmet Coupon."

A bit surreal? A snow sculpture by Hokkaido University's Faculty of Dental Medicine

There's also a humorous sculpture of a bear being bitten by a salmon

In 9-chome, there's a slightly larger medium-sized snow sculpture: "Hokkaido Sweets Party"

You can enjoy skating without bringing any gear

The popular, easy-to-enjoy skating rink is back again this year! Skates are available for rent, so you can enjoy skating empty-handed (gloves are required). Admission tickets, including skate rental, are 3,000 yen for the general public, 1,500 yen for Sapporo citizens, 1,000 yen for high school students and younger, and 500 yen for Sapporo citizens in that age group.

Skating can also be enjoyed at night, with support aids available for beginners

Additionally, a special "Shin Ramyun" booth is set up around the skating rink. Here, you can purchase event-exclusive Shin Ramyun original merchandise and participate in free tasting sessions. There's also a DJ booth at the venue, and from Friday to Sunday evenings starting at 7:00 PM, you can skate to K-POP-centered music.

The venue stands out with its bright red "Shin Ramyun" color

The rooftop of the special booth is open as an observation deck. A perfect photo spot with a view all the way to the TV Tower!

The stars of the Snow Festival, the "Large Snow Sculptures," are set up at each site again this year

From here on, the festival's famous large snow sculptures make their appearance. In Odori 4-chome, you'll find a sculpture of the National Treasure "Hollow Dogu." The Hollow Dogu is a large clay figurine made in the late Jomon period (about 3,000 years ago) and is a designated National Treasure excavated in Hakodate. The snow sculpture stands at an impressive 13 meters tall!

At night, it's lit up and takes on a divine appearance

Numerous food stalls are also present. You can enjoy Hokkaido-style cuisine from ramen to buttered potatoes

In addition, there are medium-sized snow sculptures from the smartphone games "Blue Archive" and "Arknights," as well as a small snow sculpture from the anime "Milky☆Subway."

A large snow sculpture featuring a thoroughbred. At night...

Hokkaido is known as one of Japan's leading horse breeding regions. In fact, 98% of the thoroughbreds produced in Japan are born in Hokkaido. This year, a large snow sculpture inspired by these thoroughbreds has been created.

Projection mapping is held at night! The sight of the galloping horses is truly powerful

Furthermore, at the "Yotsuba Milk Stand" by Yotsuba Milk Products, you can enjoy a variety of menu items made with their own dairy products, such as butter and cheese, in addition to hot milk for 100 yen a cup.

A diverse menu including cream croquettes, cheese meat buns, and milk oshiruko is available for 100-500 yen

The "Sapporo Snow Sculpture Exhibition," created by artists who usually work with sculpture and other art forms

In Odori 6-chome, the "Sapporo Snow Sculpture Exhibition" is being held by five artists active mainly in Sapporo, presented by the Hongo Shin Memorial Museum of Sculpture, Sapporo in Miyanomori. You can enjoy snow sculptures with a unique atmosphere, different from the others.

The Kewpie Mayonnaise medium-sized snow sculpture is back again this year

Snow sculptures of Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi are also here

Additionally, from the popular character "Chiikawa"'s smartphone app "Chiikawa Pocket," snow sculptures of Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi are on display. There are also promotions where you can get a clear card for downloading the app or a sticker for posting with a specific hashtag.

Furthermore, a pre-event for next year's Sapporo International Art Festival (SIAF) is being held at the Snow Festival site. In the outdoor space, a Snow Festival version of the large art piece "HIWADORAME," which gained attention at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, is on display. Inside a special tent, art pieces created in workshops by elementary and junior high school students from Sapporo are exhibited.

Inside the special tent, works created by elementary and junior high school students using programming are projected

Large snow sculpture of Hokkaido University's "Furukawa Hall"

The centerpiece of Odori 7-chome is the large snow sculpture of Hokkaido University's "Furukawa Hall," which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Furukawa Hall is a French Renaissance-style building constructed in 1909 and is a nationally registered tangible cultural property. At the site, there are stage events by student groups, exhibition booths, and sales of original Hokkaido University merchandise.

This one also features projection mapping at night

In addition, various other snow sculptures are on display, including a medium-sized snow sculpture with a slide, and small snow sculptures from the TV anime "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "Dr. STONE."

There's also a collaboration snow sculpture for the currently showing movie "Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Witch of Circe"

Amazingly intricate! The large snow sculpture of "Aizu Tsurugajo Castle"

In Odori 8-chome, a large snow sculpture of "Aizu Tsurugajo Castle," famous for its role in the Boshin War at the end of the Edo period, welcomes you. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the reconstruction of Tsurugajo Castle's keep, and this large snow sculpture commemorates the memorial year. The sculpture was created using a unique technique called the "ice block method," which allows for exquisite detail. Next to the snow sculpture, there are booths selling Aizu's local products and Japanese sake.

The nighttime projection mapping expresses the changing of the four seasons

A medium-sized snow sculpture for the smartphone game "Goddess of Victory: NIKKE." Characters appear for photo opportunities

A must-see large snow sculpture for Star Wars fans

Odori 10-chome features a large collaboration snow sculpture for the new film in the classic "Star Wars" series, "Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu" (to be released on May 22). The unveiling event was a huge success, with astronaut Soichi Noguchi, who was inspired to become an astronaut by Star Wars, making an appearance.

A welcome treat for a cold body and stomach! A special booth where you can eat hot Cup Noodle

Also, at the special Cup Noodle booth, you can eat "freshly made" Cup Noodle produced at the Nissin Chitose factory in Sapporo. It's a rare taste you can only experience here, and it will warm you up from the inside out.

It's back again this year! The popular "Cup Noodle Slide" for kids

The annual Snow Miku snow sculpture! This year's costume theme is "Happy Patisserie"

In Odori 11-chome, a medium-sized snow sculpture of "Snow Miku," the character who supports Hokkaido, welcomes you. This year's costume theme is "Happy Patisserie," and it's drawing large crowds eager to get a glimpse. At night, a light-up show synchronized with music, using the "COUGEN" lighting control system, is held for both this sculpture and the adjacent 【OSHI NO KO】 snow sculpture.

In addition, the "International Snow Sculpture Contest" is being held, with 10 teams from various countries and regions around the world participating. Each team will create their sculptures during the festival period.

The international snow sculptures were still under construction at the time of reporting (until the 6th). Teams from Austria, Hawaii, Indonesia, and more are participating

There's also a bust of Dr. Clark, famous for his phrase, "Boys, be ambitious"

The Odori Site stretches for about 1.5 km from 1-chome to 11-chome. There are plenty of rest spots and food booths, so there's much to enjoy besides the snow sculptures. Please note that the north and south sides of the park are one-way for pedestrian traffic. Let's enjoy Sapporo in its unique winter glory!