What's On in Hokkaido | Japan What's On

Nov202026

Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Food · Fri 20 Nov to Fri 25 Dec 2026

Sapporo's sister-city Christmas market modelled on Munich's, with German food, Glühwein and craft stalls under the Odori Park illuminations.

Confirmed dates

Nov202026

Sapporo White Illumination

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Illuminations · Fri 20 Nov to Fri 25 Dec 2026

Winter illuminations in central Sapporo, centred on Odori Park, first held in 1981.

Confirmed dates

Dec12026

Hakodate Christmas Fantasy

Hakodate, Hokkaido · Illuminations · Tue 01 to Fri 25 Dec 2026

A giant Christmas tree from Hakodate's sister city Halifax floats in the harbour before the red brick warehouses, lit nightly with fireworks and a soup bar of local restaurants.

Confirmed dates

Dec202026

Furano Kan Kan Mura

Furano, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Sun 20 Dec 2026 to Sun 28 Feb 2027

A snow and ice village beside the Ningle Terrace cabins, with an ice bar, snow domes, tube slides and around 70,000 lights.

Expected window

Dec202026

Tomamu Ice Village

Shimukappu, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Sun 20 Dec 2026 to Wed 10 Mar 2027

A night-time village of ice domes at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, with an ice chapel, ice bar, ice slide and an ice hotel room.

Confirmed dates

Jan162027

Sapporo International Art Festival 2027 (SIAF2027)

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Arts and stage · Sat 16 Jan to Sun 21 Feb 2027

Sapporo's international art festival takes over the snow-covered city from 16 January to 21 February 2027.

Confirmed dates

Jan202027

Jozankei Yukitouro 2027

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Illuminations · Wed 20 Jan to Sun 28 Feb 2027

Jozankei Onsen's winter light event at Jozankei Shrine, relaunched for 2027 with new lighting concepts in place of the snow candles.

Confirmed dates

Jan232027

Lake Shikaribetsu Kotan

Shikaoi, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Sat 23 Jan to Sun 14 Mar 2027

A village built entirely of lake ice and snow on the frozen surface of Lake Shikaribetsu, with an ice bar, an ice chapel, ice lodges and an open-air bath on the ice.

Expected window

Jan232027

Sounkyo Ice Fall Festival

Kamikawa, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Sat 23 Jan to Sun 07 Mar 2027

Ice structures built in the cold of Sounkyo Gorge at Sounkyo Onsen, lit in colour at night.

Expected window

Jan232027

Tokachigawa Swan Festival Sairinka

Otofuke, Hokkaido · Illuminations · Sat 23 Jan to Sun 14 Feb 2027

A nightly light and music show played across the snow-covered fields of Tokachigaoka Park at Tokachigawa Onsen, named for the swans that winter on the river.

Expected window

Jan302027

Chitose Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

Chitose, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Sat 30 Jan to Tue 23 Feb 2027

Ice sculptures made from Lake Shikotsu water at Lake Shikotsu Onsen, blue by day and lit at night.

Confirmed dates

Feb12027

Lake Akan Ice Festival

Kushiro, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Mon 01 Feb to Mon 01 Mar 2027

A festival on the frozen surface of Lake Akan with on-ice activities by day and fireworks over the ice at night.

Expected window

Feb42027

Sapporo Snow Festival

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Thu 04 to Thu 11 Feb 2027

Large snow and ice sculptures at the Odori and Susukino sites in Sapporo.

Confirmed dates

Feb52027

Shiretoko Fantasia

Shari, Hokkaido · Illuminations · Fri 05 Feb to Sat 20 Mar 2027

A nightly 20-minute show of laser light, music and straw-fire smoke above the drift ice at Utoro, recreating an aurora that appeared over Shiretoko in 1958.

Expected window

Feb62027

Abashiri Okhotsk Drift Ice Festival

Abashiri, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Sat 06 to Sun 07 Feb 2027

Abashiri's two-day drift ice festival of citizen-built snow statues, ice sculpture and stage events at the commercial port wharf.

Confirmed dates

Feb62027

Asahikawa Winter Festival

Asahikawa, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Sat 06 to Thu 11 Feb 2027

Winter festival in Asahikawa with a large snow sculpture stage and ice sculptures in the city centre.

Confirmed dates

Feb62027

Otaru Snow Light Path

Otaru, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Sat 06 to Sat 13 Feb 2027

Snow candles and lanterns along the Otaru Canal and the former Temiya railway line.

Confirmed dates

Feb62027

Rikubetsu Shibare Festival

Rikubetsu, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Sat 06 to Sun 07 Feb 2027

A two-day festival in the town that records Japan's coldest temperatures, turning extreme cold into the attraction with an overnight endurance sleep-out in ice domes.

Expected window

Feb112027

Monbetsu Drift Ice Festival

Monbetsu, Hokkaido · Snow and winter · Thu 11 to Sun 14 Feb 2027

Monbetsu's drift ice festival, running since 1963, with large ice sculptures carved from natural ice at the marine park.

Confirmed dates

May192027

Sapporo Lilac Festival

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Seasons and nature · Wed 19 to Sun 30 May 2027

Sapporo's start-of-summer festival among 400 blooming lilacs in Odori Park, with a Hokkaido wine garden, outdoor tea ceremonies and live music.

Expected window

Jun92027

Yosakoi Soran Festival

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Festivals · Wed 09 to Sun 13 Jun 2027

Team dance festival in Sapporo combining yosakoi dancing with the Soran Bushi folk song.

Confirmed dates

Jun142027

Hokkaido Shrine Festival (Sapporo Matsuri)

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Religious · Mon 14 to Wed 16 Jun 2027

Sapporo's oldest festival, with a 1,000-person procession of portable shrines and Edo-style floats on the final day and hundreds of food stalls in Nakajima Park.

Confirmed dates

Jul112027

Furano Lavender Peak Season

Nakafurano, Hokkaido · Seasons and nature · Sun 11 to Tue 20 Jul 2027

Peak lavender flowering in the Furano and Nakafurano fields, centred on Farm Tomita.

Expected window

Jul192027

Hokuryu Sunflower Festival

Hokuryu, Hokkaido · Seasons and nature · Mon 19 Jul to Tue 17 Aug 2027

Two million sunflowers over 23 hectares at Japan's largest sunflower village, with flower mazes.

Expected window

Jul302027

Doshin UHB Fireworks Festival

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Fireworks · Fri 30 Jul 2027

About 4,000 fireworks over the Toyohira River in central Sapporo, a summer tradition easily reached from the city centre.

Expected window

Aug132027

Kachimai Fireworks Festival

Obihiro, Hokkaido · Fireworks · Fri 13 Aug 2027

Fireworks display on the Tokachi River riverbank in Obihiro, launched from a special venue downstream of Tokachi Ohashi Bridge.

Expected window

Aug132027

Rising Sun Rock Festival in EZO

Ishikari, Hokkaido · Arts and stage · Fri 13 to Sat 14 Aug 2027

Hokkaido's outdoor rock festival, held on a special stage at Ishikari Bay New Port near Sapporo.

Expected window

Aug292027

Hokkaido Marathon

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Sport · Sun 29 Aug 2027

Japan's major summer marathon, run through central Sapporo partly on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic marathon course, with around 20,000 runners.

Expected window

Sep32027

Kurodake and Daisetsuzan Autumn Leaves Season

Kamikawa (Sounkyo), Hokkaido · Seasons and nature · Fri 03 to Thu 30 Sep 2027

Japan's earliest autumn colour, starting at the Kurodake summit in September and descending to Sounkyo Gorge.

Expected window

Sep102027

Sapporo Autumn Fest

Sapporo, Hokkaido · Food · Fri 10 Sep to Sat 02 Oct 2027

Hokkaido's biggest food festival, filling about a kilometre of Odori Park with stalls from towns and producers across the island.

Expected window

What's on in Hokkaido.