Melting point: Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival skates on thin climate ice

This year’s festival came dangerously close to being cancelled, before it was saved by a last-minute snowfall

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Tourists pose for photos in front of a snow statue of US President Donald Trump at Sapporo Snow Festival in 2017. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 8:00am, 4 Feb 2025

Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival, a dazzling showcase of ice and artistry that lures millions to far northern Hokkaido prefecture each winter, almost did not happen this year. A month of record-breaking warmth left organisers scrambling, until a last-minute cold front swept in, allowing them to breathe a collective sigh of relief – at least for now.

The festival, which officially opens on Tuesday, is more than just a hugely popular seasonal attraction. It is also an economic lifeline for Sapporo, injecting an estimated US$430 million into the local economy each year.

But for locals and experts alike, warmer winters in northern Japan are sounding alarms about the future of the festival.

“They got very lucky this year,” said Makoto Watanabe, an academic from the nearby city of Eniwa. “There was a lot less snow than usual in January, but a lot fell over the three days just before the festival opened.”

Snow is trucked into Odori Park in January 2020 for the Sapporo Snow Festival. Photo: Kyodo

The event could usually rely on snow trucked in from Hokkaido’s mountains to build its famous ice sculptures, Watanabe said. But as temperatures rise, snowfall is not the only issue. There is also the stability of ice sculptures to worry about.

“The problem is when temperatures, especially during the day, are above zero and the snow and ice begin to melt,” Watanabe said. “When that happens, the very biggest statues can become unstable and dangerous.”