The Sapporo Snow Festival

The Sapporo Snow Festival

 
The Sapporo Snow Festival is Japan’s largest winter event and is fast becoming an annual attraction for both locals and foreign travellers. The magnificent snow sculptures and pristine ice statues stand proudly in Odori Park, a centrally located park in the heart of Sapporo spanning 1.5 kilometers. Other sights include Susukino, Sapporo’s famous red light district and Tsudome, a community dome. 

The festival began in 1955 when local high school students built six snow statues, nearby military forces joined in adding to the mammoth snow sculptures - there began the Sapporo Snow Festival. 

The festival comprises of over 400 sculptures with varying themes, such as people, city landscapes and historical sites. The festival usually runs for about two weeks in February. If this is not enough to entice you, the festival also attracts a multitude of food hawkers boasting the region’s finest.