10 Reasons To Go To Sapporo's Snow Festival

Started by a group of local high school students in 1950, the now legendary Sapporo Snow Festival draws in over two million tourists from around the world every February. The festival features skiing and snowboarding events, sporting competitions, ice sculptures, and even a beauty contest of which the winner is crowned the year’s “Ice Queen”. Here are 10 reasons why vistors to Japan in winter should go the festival.

Slides

An ideal option for families, the three snow slides (Tube, Ice, and Waku-Waku) at the Tsudome site provide good clean fun for guests of any age. The Ice Slide also features a “Family Lane” for parents and children to slide together.

Snow Rafting

Another all ages activity, this small rubber raft is pulled through the festival by a snowmobile. The fee is 600 yen (about $5) for adults and 400 yen for children under 12.

Concerts

In addition to its massive snow and ice sculpture display, the Odori Park site also has stages set up for live musical performances featuring local artists from Sapporo as well as the US Navy, who come to the festival every year.

Members of the U.S. 7th Fleet Band perform at the annual Sapporo Snow Festival

Beauty Contest

One of the festival’s most popular events, the “Susukino Queen of the Ice” is a female beauty contest held in Sapporo’s nightlife district. The contestants represent the thousands of women working in the entertainment industry of Susukino. Stick around long enough and you may have a chance to snap a few photos with some of the contestants.

Illumination Street

The main street of Susukino is adorned with lights and ice sculptures for the duration of the festival, transforming the seedy nightlife area into a pleasantly lit evening stroll. The illuminations are turned on at sunset and off at 10 pm.