Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri) in Japan

The Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri) is the biggest and most famous winter festival in Japan. The festival takes place in Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture for one week in early February.

Originally started when 6 local high school kids built some snow statues in Odori Park in 1950, two million visitors now flock to Sapporo every year to watch teams from around the world participate in the snow and ice sculpture contests – in 2008 there were over 400 works on display, some of which were 50 feet tall and 85 feet wide.

The sculptures depict everything from entire historical scenes and famous celebrities to Hello Kitty and other pop icons. In addition to the hundreds of ice and snow sculptures, visitors can also enjoy music concerts, dancing, karaoke, food, and more.

A large snow structure reads “Welcome to the Sapporo Snow Festival” in Japanese.

Photo © City of Sapporo

2010 Sapporo Yuki Matsuri

The 2010 Sapporo Yuki Matsuri will be held from February 5th – 11th at the event’s three sites around the city: Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsudome (formerly in Sato Land). Visitors can expect to see massive works made of snow, ice, and platforms that depict popular scenes, such as this one of The Chronicles of Narnia.

Photo © City of Sapporo

Odori Park

Located in central Sapporo, Odori Park stretches a mile long and is the main site of the festival. Most of the event’s sculptures are exhibited here, including the largest ones. Odori Park also offers musical concerts and other events.

Here is a photo of a large structure in Odori Park entitled Egypt Square.

Photo © City of Sapporo

Odori Park is illuminated until 10:00 pm everyday and the best view is from the top of the Sapporo TV Tower on