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January 2026
Cultural Article
Yuki Matsuri
By Suzannah Nevas
For many of us in the northern hemisphere, this is a cold and snowy time of year. What if you didn’t fight it, but instead leaned into all the wonders that ice and snow can uniquely provide?
This year marks the 76th annual Yuki Matsuri, or Snow Festival, in Sapporo, Hokkaido. This spectacular seven day festival runs from February 4 – 11, and spreads out across three main venues.
Yuki Matsuri is most famous for its iconic snow and ice sculptures (of which there are usually over 400!), some as tall as 30-50 feet high! The event also features many wintery activities and attractions including sledding, snow rafting, snow mazes, skating, snow cornhole, ice slides, indoor and outdoor markets with gourmet food, an ice bar, and numerous photo ops!
History of the Snow Festival
The first Yuki Matsuri was held in Sapporo on February 18th in 1950. It was actually started by a group of industrious junior high and high school students who planned snow-themed activities and erected 6 snow statues in Odori Park. Their efforts attracted over 50,000 tourists, and for the last 75 years, the event has only continued to grow in scale and popularity.
Here are a few highlights from the last 75 years:
1950 - The first festival, organized by local students, featuring an ice carnival, snowball capture the flag, and 6 snow sculptures.
1955 - The students and ordinary citizens who constructed the snow sculptures were joined by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, who began adding very large snow sculptures to the festival.
1959 - The event became televised nation-wide.
1965 - The event expanded to add a second venue and the Citizen’s Snow Sculpture Competition was added.
1974 - The International Snow Sculpture Contest was added.
1983 - The event expanded to add a third venue.
1987 - The event was extended to seven days.
1996 - The internet was used to solicit snow sculpture designs from students across the world.
2005 - Several changes were made to try and mitigate overcrowding and long lines
2019 - Attendance reached an all-time high of 2,737,000 visitors
2021 - The event was held online due to the world-wide COVID-19 Pandemic.
The 75-year history of the festival also includes countless stories of incredible feats to overcome the challenges of insufficient snowfall and melting sculptures.
Snow sculptures vary in size, with some being multiple stories tall
Snow & Ice Sculptures
The most awe-inspiring part of Yuki Matsuri is the incredible ingenuity and artistry of the snow and ice sculptures.
There are several ginormous snow scenes & structures- often with extremely intricate detail and precision that are illuminated with lights and projected images.
The International Snow Sculpture Contest features 10 competing teams of professionals from around the world. As part of the festival, you can watch these masterpieces being created live at the venue from February 4th to February 6th.
The Citizen’s Snow Sculpture event is just what it sounds like- ordinary citizens enter a lottery to compete for the “Most Popular” sculpture voted by the festival’s visitors.
There are also exquisite ice sculptures- some with fish frozen into them!
How to Prepare
Reserve your hotel - While there is no admission fee to join the event, accommodations do fill up, so it’s best to plan ahead and secure your lodging.
Pack appropriately- The average temperature in Sapporo in February is typically between 20°- 30°F. While the main attractions are mostly outdoors, you will frequently want to pop into cute shops and restaurants to warm up, so remember to bundle up and wear layers that can easily be taken off and put back on!
Bring a portable phone charger- The cold can drain your phone battery more quickly and you’ll want to use your phone to take many pictures of the incredible sights!
Sources
https://www.sapporo.travel/en/event/event-list/sapporo_snow_festival/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapporo_Snow_Festival