One of the many snow sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival.               All Photos: Wikipedia.org

Entering its 61st year, the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan will take place in the Hokkaido region of Japan from February 6 through February 11. Not only attracting local Japanese visitors, the Sapporo Snow Festival draws international interest as well and more than 2 million visitors are expected to converge in the downtown Sapporo area to see the stunning snow and ice sculptures, entertainment and sample the Japanese cuisine.The Sapporo Snow Festival began in 1950 by a group of high school students who sculpted six statues along the Odori Park and over the last 61 years, has grown into an international phenomenon rivaled only by Harbin Ice and Snow Festival and the Quebec Winter Carnival! (See slide show).

The festival takes place in predominantly three main districts: the Odori Park area, the main streets of Susukino and at the Supporo Community Dome in Tsudome. See map for complete details.

• Odori Park, the festival’s original home and the main attraction, is where you can find the stunning collection of snow sculptures and in between, snow stages, that will host a variety of entertainment throughout the seven-day festival.
• Spectacular glistening ice sculptures abound at the Susukino site, located 10 minutes south of Odori venue, the host of the ice sculpture contest and the place where you can take a picture with the chilling Ice Queen herself! Plus, Susukino is where the action heats up after dark. And there’s even an ice bar that promises only to warm your insides.
• At the Tsudome site located just northeast of downtown Sapporo, visitors can thrill and chill in this winter wonderland playground for kids of all ages including ice slides and snow mazes. Inside the dome, visitors can warm up and indulge in the local cuisine of Hokkaido at any number of food vendors and beer gardens serving up delectable bites to eat and cold beer. Like we need any more cold?!

Key dates at the Sapporo Snow Festival not to be missed:

• February 5: 6:30 p.m. - Opening ceremony at the Minami 4 Nishi 4 location
• February 5: 7:30 p.m. - Photos with the Ice Queen
• February 6: 11:00 a.m. - Ice Sculpture Award Ceremony at the Susukino site (Minami 4 Nishi 4)
• February 11: 8:45 p.m. Closing Ceremony at the main ice sculptures at the Susukino site.

How to get there:

There are many tour companies offering special tours to the Sapporo Snow Festival. I recommend you call them as opposed to trying to navigate their websites to determine total package pricing from the Orlando area. I can tell you that you will need to change planes at least two times during travel, once in US and the other in Tokyo to eventually arrive in Sapporo.

• JTB Tours - 1-888-452-5725
• Pop Japan Travel - 866-680-1589 ext 111
• Royal Adventure Travel - See list of travel consultants
• Kobayashi.com Honolulu: 1-808-593-9387

Read more about winter festivals around the world:

• Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
• Quebec Winter Carnival - Joyeux Carnaval!