The Yuki-Matsuri 雪祭 (Snow Festival) takes place every year during the second week of February in Sapporo, Hokkaido.

The first Yuki-Matsuri was held in 1950, when students constructed six snow statues that attracted curious visitors. Five years later, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces built gigantic statues, which brought the festival to prominence.

The Yuki-Matsuri takes place across three locations in Sapporo. The first is Ôdôri Park, which stretches between the two lanes of a vast avenue reminiscent of the Champs-Élysées. Dozens of small and large statues line the space across hundreds of meters.

The second site, Susukino, is a vibrant district at the heart of Sapporo, where ice sculptures are on display. Quite different from snow statues (雪象, setsu-zô), ice sculptures (氷象, hyô-zô) are often more delicate (and smaller) and showcase transparency effects.

Finally, the third site is the base of the Self-Defense Forces (south of Sapporo), which opens its doors to the public on this special occasion and displays immense snow statues, many of which are equipped with ice slides: thrills guaranteed! It's worth noting that due to the closure of the Makomanai base, 2005 was the last year it hosted the Festival. Among the gigantic snow statues, most are preceded by a platform where countless concerts and performances take place. In the evening, these are accompanied by stunning illuminations.

Needless to say, the construction of these statues is an enormous undertaking, the fruit of cooperation among numerous teams. In principle, anyone can participate in the construction, though one team member must be a Sapporo resident. Moreover, given the impressive number of candidates, participants have been selected by lottery in recent years.

The Yuki-Matsuri is truly a must-see event!