Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 set for February 4–11, overlapping Korea's Lunar New Year

The dates for the 2027 Sapporo Snow Festival (the 77th) are out.
It runs for eight days, Thursday February 4 to Thursday February 11, 2027, at three sites: Odori, Susukino and Tsudome.

The dates caught my eye.
Lunar New Year falls on Sunday, February 7, 2027, so Korea’s holiday (February 6–9) lands right in the middle of the festival.

That means you can go without using much leave. It also means flights and central Sapporo hotels will probably fill up faster than a normal February.

Dates and sites

From the festival’s official overview (in Japanese):

The huge snow sculptures you see in photos are at Odori.
Susukino is mostly ice sculptures, and Tsudome is outside the centre, reached by subway and shuttle bus.

Opening hours, illumination times and the full programme are not out yet.
The official site will announce them later, so check back closer to the date.

How the dates line up

The four-day holiday alone gives you three nights.
Plenty of people will have the same idea, so look at flights early.

To save a little, compare flying out on February 4–5 or coming back on the 10th–11th.
Just note the 11th is a holiday in Japan, so Sapporo will be busy.

Flights

Seoul Incheon–Sapporo (New Chitose) is flown by Korean Air, Asiana and several low-cost carriers.
Air Premia joins on December 2, four times a week (Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun).
During the festival, that means Air Premia flights on February 4, 6, 7, 10 and 11.

Air Premia’s 5% code (CTSNEW5) covers travel from December 2 to February 28, but only for bookings made by September 30.
The festival is included, but 5% is not much. For the holiday dates, compare the total after the code with other airlines.
Full details are in the Air Premia Sapporo article.

Where to stay

Hotels near Odori Park and Susukino go first during the festival.
If the city is full or too expensive, a night or two in a nearby onsen town is an option.

Jozankei is about an hour from Sapporo by car, and I stayed there at exactly this time of year in 2026.

My notes are in the Kuriya Suizan review and the Otaru Korakuen review.
Both are February 2026 prices, so check current rates.

Staying outside the city means more time getting to the festival.
On the night you want to see the illuminations, a hotel in town is much easier.

Before you book

Only the dates and sites are official so far. The rest is my own checklist.

Sources: Sapporo Snow Festival – 2027 overview · Japan Guide
Checked September 26, 2026