Snow & Winter Festivals in Japan 2027
6 winter festivals, in date order — from Shirakawa-go's light-up in January to the Sapporo Snow Festival in February. Dates, entry and access, checked against official sources.
Japan's winter festival season peaks in the first half of February, when the Sapporo Snow Festival, the Asahikawa Winter Festival and the Otaru Snow Light Path all overlap in Hokkaido. Earlier in the winter come Nozawa Onsen's fire festival on January 15 and the four reservation-only evenings of the Shirakawa-go light-up.
- Jan 11, Jan 17, Jan 24, Jan 31, 2027Shirakawa-go Winter Light-UpWinter festival5:30 PM
- Fri, January 15, 2027Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Fire FestivalWinter festivalFree
- Sat, Jan 30 – Tue, Feb 23, 2027Chitose Lake Shikotsu Ice FestivalWinter festival10:00 AM¥1,000
- Thu, Feb 4 – Thu, Feb 11, 2027Sapporo Snow FestivalWinter festivalFree
- Sat, Feb 6 – Sat, Feb 13, 2027Otaru Snow Light PathWinter festivalFree
- Sat, Feb 6 – Thu, Feb 11, 2027Asahikawa Winter FestivalWinter festivalFree
Winter festivals in Japan: common questions
- When is the Sapporo Snow Festival 2027?
- The 77th Sapporo Snow Festival runs Thu, Feb 4 – Thu, Feb 11, 2027 at all three sites — Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome. Entry is free.
- Which winter festivals can I combine in one trip?
- In Hokkaido, the first half of February lines up: the Sapporo Snow Festival (February 4–11), the Asahikawa Winter Festival (February 6–11) and the Otaru Snow Light Path (February 6–13) overlap, and the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival near New Chitose Airport runs from late January to February 23. Otaru is under an hour from Sapporo by train and Asahikawa about 1.5 hours.
- Do I need to book anything in advance?
- The Hokkaido festivals are free (Lake Shikotsu charges entry) and need no booking, but Sapporo hotels fill up months ahead for festival week. Shirakawa-go's light-up is the exception: entry is by advance reservation only, through a village stay, a car park reservation or a bus tour, and nothing is sold on the day.