Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival (Shikotsuko Hyoto Matsuri) 2027
Sculptors spray the clear blue waters of Lake Shikotsu onto frames to build towering turquoise ice domes and tunnels, glowing in jewel tones after dark.
When · Where
- When
- 2027/01/30 01:00 – 2027/02/23
- Where
- Lake Shikotsu Onsen lakeside, Shikotsu-Toya National Park（Shikotsukohan, Chitose, Hokkaido）
- City
- Sapporo
- Getting there
- ~40 min by car/bus from Chitose Station / New Chitose Airport; seasonal buses from Sapporo.
- Price
- Donation around ¥500 (high-school age+); free for younger children.
- Organizer
- Chitose-Shikotsuko Hyoto Matsuri Executive Committee
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- ~40 min by car/bus from Chitose Station / New Chitose Airport; seasonal buses from Sapporo. Open directions in Google Maps ↗
- Booking & entry
- Check tickets and details on the official page (button above).
- Paying
- Donation around ¥500 (high-school age+); free for younger children.. Smaller venues in Japan are often cash-first — carry some yen (cards/IC not guaranteed).
- Language
- Mostly in Japanese — a translation app on your phone helps.
- Good for
- culture seekers, families
Highlights
- 'Shikotsu Blue' turquoise ice structures
- Colorful nightly light-ups
- Ice domes, tunnels and slides made from lake water
Background & story
Begun in 1979, the festival uses Lake Shikotsu's famously transparent water, which freezes a distinctive blue; structures are sprayed onto frames over weeks of cold.
Good to know
Come at dusk to see the blue ice shift to colored light-ups; dress for severe lakeside cold.