Sapporo Snow Festival 2027: Guide to Dates, Prices & My Review

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Sapporo Winter Trip

Is it Best to Align Your Visit with the Snow Festival?

With giant snow sculptures and magnificent ice carvings to admire, it's a festival that anyone planning a winter trip to Sapporo

will ponder at least once.

When I made my first trip,

I also timed it with the Sapporo Snow Festival.

In this post,

I'm going to share my honest review of the Sapporo Snow Festival, based on my personal experience,

along with the 2027 schedule, and even flight and hotel prices.

I've compiled all the details for you.

If you're contemplating whether to go during the festival period,

take a look at this for reference :)

Today's Post Summary

Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 Dates and Schedule

What to See at Each of the 3 Festival Venues

My Honest Review from Personal Experience

Flight Price Comparison: During and Around the Festival

Sapporo Accommodation Location and Price Comparison +Exclusive Discount Code in the Main Text

1. Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 Dates and Schedule

Dates	February 4 (Thu) ~ February 11 (Thu), 2027
Locations	Odori, Susukino, Tsudome
Admission Fee	Free
Main Attractions	Large Snow Sculptures, Ice Sculptures, Snow Play
Official Website	snowfes.com

What's noteworthy about the 2027 Sapporo Snow Festival schedule

is that

the Korean Lunar New Year holiday coincides with the festival period.

The 2027 Lunar New Year holiday

is from February 6 (Sat) to 9 (Tue),

and with this overlapping the festival dates,

an even greater influx of travelers is expected.

As a result, flight and accommodation prices will also increase,

so if you're planning your trip,

it would be wise to compare prices by date in advance.

2. Sapporo Snow Festival Venues and Attractions

The Sapporo Snow Festival is held

at three main locations:

Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsudome.

Odori Park is

the main venue for the Sapporo Snow Festival.

Across an approximately 1.5 km stretch,

large snow sculptures and various artworks are exhibited.

When I visited in 2024,

I explored Odori Park around 5-6 PM.

I saw adorable snow sculptures and ice carvings,

and with various food stalls also operating,

there was quite a bit to enjoy.

Since it's a world-famous festival,

the park was packed with people.

However, it wasn't as overwhelmingly impressive as I expected,

so if the Snow Festival itself isn't the primary purpose of your trip,

rather than deliberately going during the most expensive period,

it might be a good idea to adjust your travel dates.

In Susukino, you can admire transparent, glittering ice sculptures,

and with the added illuminations,

it truly exuded a strong winter atmosphere.

Tsudome is an experiential venue where you can enjoy snow activities like snow tubing and snow rafting.

If you're traveling with children,

it seems worth a visit.

3. My Honest Review of the Snow Festival from Personal Experience

Since it was my first trip to Sapporo,

I thought, 'If I'm going anyway, I might as well go during the Snow Festival!'

and planned my itinerary accordingly.

At the time, a round-trip flight from Busan was about ~$520 per person,

and the Grandbell Hotel Susukino cost about ~$223 per night.

For a 3-night, 4-day itinerary, splitting the accommodation costs between two people,

the flights and accommodation alone amounted to about ~$855 per person.

Adding in food expenses and shopping,

I ended up spending nearly ~$1,487 per person.

At first, I loved experiencing the Snow Festival atmosphere,

but after visiting Sapporo again in winter when the festival wasn't on,

my perspective shifted a bit.

Even without the Snow Festival,

winter Sapporo was incredibly captivating!

Honestly, isn't the highlight of a winter Sapporo trip

the Biei snowscape tour? Haha!

You can experience Biei's stunning snowscapes throughout winter,

even outside of the Snow Festival period,

so I realized there's no need to strictly plan your trip

around the festival dates.

4. Sapporo Snow Festival Period Flight Prices

Flight prices during the Snow Festival are usually on the expensive side,

but with the 2027 Snow Festival overlapping with the Lunar New Year holiday in Korea,

the cost burden has increased even more.

[Comparison for Round-Trip Flights from Incheon]

Dates overlapping with the Snow Festival + Lunar New Year holiday

Around ~$669 and up

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On dates where the Snow Festival and Lunar New Year holiday completely overlap,

round-trip flight prices alone can reach nearly ~$743.

However, if you adjust your travel dates by just one day before or after,

you could find prices that are more than ~$149 cheaper.

So, if you're planning a Sapporo trip

around the Lunar New Year holiday, be sure to compare flight prices by date

before booking.

~$149 is enough to enjoy delicious meals

and do some shopping in Sapporo! Haha!

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If you don't absolutely have to travel during the Lunar New Year holiday,

you can book flights at a much cheaper price.

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Weekend Prices in December

Around ~$297 ~ ~$372

*Prices increase towards the end of December

Weekend Prices in January & February

Around ~$446 and up

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📎Compare Sapporo Flight Prices by Date

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5. Sapporo Snow Festival Accommodation Location & Prices

For Sapporo accommodation,

it's best to choose a location based on your travel itinerary.

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✔️ Odori Station Area:

Excellent accessibility to the main Snow Festival venue.

It's right in the middle of Sapporo Station and Susukino,

making both easily reachable on foot.

✔️ Sapporo Station Area:

Convenient for airport transfers and using JR lines.

Recommended if you plan to visit Otaru on a short trip.

✔️ Susukino Area:

Ideal for dining hotspots and evening sightseeing.

Recommended if you'll be doing a lot of city exploration in the evenings

and staying for 3 nights or more.

(This is my personal favorite location! Haha!)

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For price comparison, I looked at the

Granbell Hotel Susukino, where I've stayed before.

It's a popular spot with a great location in Susukino, but still quiet,

and it even has a large public bath!

During the Snow Festival + Lunar New Year holiday period,

it's around ~$372 per night.

Not just the price, but

rooms for those dates are almost fully booked already!

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On a weekend in January, it's around ~$149 per night,

nearly half the price.

It's the same hotel, same room, yet

the price difference is so huge depending on the dates...

If you're planning to book accommodation

during the Sapporo Snow Festival,

make sure to grab those discount coupons!

✈️ Grab discount coupons before booking Sapporo hotels

New Members: NEWMOMENT12 (Up to $50)

All members: MOMENT08AGD (Up to $30)

Coupon validity period: Until 23:59 on November 30, 2026

Stay period: Until June 30, 2027

Since this coupon can only be applied until November,

let's check the prices right away.

▼▼▼

📎Get Agoda hotel discounts via the main link

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※ The coupon is only applicable on Agoda pages accessed through our affiliate link!

6. Wrapping Up

The Sapporo Snow Festival is

a special event you can only experience in winter, but

you don't necessarily have to align your trip with the festival period

to truly enjoy your Sapporo trip.

From my personal experience, the festival atmosphere was great, but

considering the cost of flights and accommodation,

there were some regrettable aspects.

If your main purpose is to explore great restaurants, sightseeing, and a Biei tour,

other dates are also a perfectly good choice.

Especially since the Sapporo Snow Festival in 2027

overlaps with the Lunar New Year holiday,

make sure to thoroughly compare flight and hotel prices

before choosing your travel dates.

Don't forget to enter the discount code when booking your hotel!