Hometown Homepage - Sapporo　Festival and Events

Snow Festival (beginning of February)

The forty-eighth Snow Festival was held this year. In 1950, some high school students made six snow sculptures in Odori Park, and it was the beginning of this most famous festival in Hokkaido. The festival attracted more and more spectators each year until it finally became one of the major festivals in the world. The big annual snow event is held at three locations; Odori Park (main site), Makomanai, and Susukino for a week in the beginning of February. There are about 330 big and small snow sculptures displayed, some of which are made by participants from abroad.

Home Page:http://www.aurora-net.or.jp/~snowfes/indexe.html

Sapporo Lilac Festival (the end of May)

After a long winter, when the streets are filled with the sweet fragrance of lilac and the fresh breeze blows in town, the people enjoy various events. In Odori Park where the light purple and white lilac are blooming, some events including music festivals, open tea ceremony, and the distribution of lilac plants, are carried on.

Yosakoi Soran Festival (the beginning of June)

Some students of Hokkaido University introduced the Yosakoi Festival to Sapporo, after they saw the original Yosakoi Festival in Kochi prefecture, and were moved by the enthusiasm of all the participants. In the first festival held in Sapporo, there were only ten teams, but the number has increased each time until this year when finally as many as 183 teams with more than a million spectators took part in. The upbeat Soran tune with fervent arrangement and the rhythm beaten by naruko (a clapper) makes you feel like joining the dance circle.

Pacific Music Festival (PMF) (July - August)
Leonard Bernstein, both a great composer and a conductor, was the originator of this music festival. It was initiated with a purpose of fostering young artists all over the world. The festival is held for about a month (July through August) at several locations with Sapporo as the major site. A variety of programs including workshops and recitals by world famous musicians are really enjoyable.
Home Page:
http://www.pmf.or.jp/pmf.html
PMF

White Illumination (the end of November - the beginning of January)

Three hundred and seventy thousand electric bulbs are illuminated on the branches of frozen trees from the first to twelfth street of Odori Park of the east-west direction and from Sapporo Station to Susukino in the north-south direction. The gorgeous illumination looks romantic in the town covered with snow. This stands along with the Snow Festival as a major natural winter scene.

Hokkaido Jingu Sai Festival (the middle of June)

Sapporo Summer Festival (the end of July - the end of August)

Beer gardens are open until the end of August from 5-chome to 10-chome of Nishi, Odori Park. However it is often chilly at night even in summer.

Toyohira-gawa River Fireworks Festival (the end of July - the beginning of August)

Susukino Festival (the beginning of August)

Sapporo International Festival (the end of July - the end of August)

The Clock Tower Festival (the middle of September)

Sapporo Marathon (the beginning of October)

Sapporo Chrysanthemum Festival (the beginning of November)

Sapporo International Ski Marathon (the beginning of February)

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