Highlights
- All five venues switch on together on Thursday 19 November 2026 (46th edition)
- Each venue ends on a different date — Odori 24 Dec, Ekimae-dori 10 Feb 2027, Minami-1-jo/Akapla/Station South 13 Mar 2027
- A new Nakajima Park venue joins for 2026 (details due late October)
- Free to view, no ticket needed; Odori Station is a minute away on three subway lines
- Overlaps the Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo (19 Nov – 24 Dec, Odori Park West 1–2) in both dates and place
Background & story
Centred on Odori Park, Sapporo White Illumination has grown into one of the city's signature winter events. It is the opening act of Sapporo's long, luminous cold season — lit weeks before the more famous Snow Festival arrives.
The 2026 run ends on a different date at each venue
For its 46th edition, all five venues switch on together on Thursday 19 November 2026 — and then finish on different dates. Plan around "Sapporo's lights end in December" and you'll miss the sites that stay lit until March.
| Venue | Lit (2026–27) |
|---|---|
| Odori (the symbol objects) | 19 Nov 2026 – 24 Dec 2026 |
| Ekimae-dori (Sapporo Stn → Susukino, ~1.5 km) | 19 Nov 2026 – 10 Feb 2027 |
| Minami-1-jo-dori | 19 Nov 2026 – 13 Mar 2027 |
| Akapla (Sapporo Kita 3-jo Plaza) | 19 Nov 2026 – 13 Mar 2027 |
| Sapporo Station South Exit Plaza | 19 Nov 2026 – 13 Mar 2027 |
| Nakajima Park (new for 2026) | Details due late October 2026 |
Source: the official Sapporo White Illumination site (organised by the City of Sapporo, the Sapporo Tourist Association and the Sapporo Chamber of Commerce), checked 27 August 2026.
⚠️ The official site contradicts itself by one day. Its venue-detail pages — which still carry last season's content and say they'll be updated from around 15 October — state a run of "20 November 2026 to 14 March 2027". We follow the front page, which lists the dates venue by venue with weekdays that check out (19 Nov 2026 is a Thursday, 13 Mar 2027 a Saturday). Re-confirm after the October update.
What each venue actually looks like
- Odori — the row of large and small illuminated sculptures; the one in every photo. Shortest season.
- Ekimae-dori — roughly 1.5 km from Sapporo Station to Susukino, with about 220,000 LEDs in the trees down the central reservation.
- Minami-1-jo-dori — 46 ginkgo trees along a 300 m stretch (Minami 1-jo West 1–3), lit by around 70,000 LEDs.
- Akapla (Kita 3-jo Plaza) — ginkgo avenue framing the red-brick former Hokkaido Government Office; the "City Aurora" concept.
- Sapporo Station South Exit Plaza — a sound-and-light programme that changes four times across the season.
The Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo runs alongside it
The 25th Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo takes place in Odori Park, West 1 and 2 Chome, from 19 November to 24 December 2026 — exactly overlapping the Odori illumination in both dates and location, so you can do both in one evening.
Cost and lighting hours
Viewing is free. The illuminated areas are open-air public spaces with no ticket (food and goods at the Christmas market are of course paid).
On hours: the 16:30–22:00 we have on file is from last season (2025–26). The 2026 hours are not published yet; we'll update this page once the official venue pages refresh in October.
Three winter light events, often confused
Sapporo runs three separate things in winter:
- Sapporo White Illumination (this event, from 19 November)
- Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo (19 Nov – 24 Dec, Odori Park West 1–2)
- Sapporo Snow Festival (early February)
Visit around New Year and you get 1 and 2; come in February and you get 3 plus the later-running illumination venues. Odori Park is exposed and genuinely cold — serious layers and grippy boots.
For how this compares with the rest of Japan's winter displays, see Japan's winter illuminations & Christmas markets 2026–27.
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- Odori Station (Subway) or JR Sapporo Station. Open directions in Google Maps ↗
- Booking & entry
- Free to attend — details on the official page (button above).
- Language
- Mostly in Japanese — a translation app on your phone helps.
- Good for
- date night, art lovers, families
Good to know
The trap is that each venue ends on a different date: assume "Sapporo's lights finish in December" and you miss Minami-1-jo-dori, Akapla and the Station South Exit plaza, which stay lit to 13 March 2027. Odori (to 24 December) and the Munich Christmas Market (to 24 December) share a location and a season, so do them in one evening. Odori Park is exposed and genuinely cold — serious layers and grippy boots. For how this compares with the rest of Japan, see our Japan winter illuminations 2026–2027 guide.
Frequently asked questions
- When does Sapporo White Illumination 2026 run?
- All five venues switch on together on Thursday 19 November 2026 for the 46th edition, then finish on different dates: Odori on 24 December 2026, Ekimae-dori on 10 February 2027, and Minami-1-jo-dori, Akapla (Sapporo Kita 3-jo Plaza) and the Sapporo Station South Exit plaza on 13 March 2027. (Official site, as of 27 August 2026.)
- How many venues are there, and where?
- For 2026 there are five — Odori, Ekimae-dori, Minami-1-jo-dori, Akapla (Sapporo Kita 3-jo Plaza) and the Sapporo Station South Exit plaza — plus a new Nakajima Park venue joining this year, with details due around late October 2026.
- What is different about each venue?
- Odori has the large and small illuminated sculptures you see in every photo, and the shortest season. Ekimae-dori runs about 1.5 km from Sapporo Station to Susukino with roughly 220,000 LEDs in the trees down the central reservation. Minami-1-jo-dori lights 46 ginkgo trees over a 300 m stretch with about 70,000 LEDs. Akapla frames the red-brick former Hokkaido Government Office with a 'City Aurora' concept. The Station South Exit plaza runs a sound-and-light programme that changes four times across the season.
- Is there an entry fee, and what are the lighting hours?
- Viewing is free and no ticket is needed — the illuminated areas are open-air public spaces. On hours, the 16:30–22:00 we have on file is from last season (2025–26); the 2026 hours are not published yet and we'll update once the official venue pages refresh in October.
- Is the Christmas market on at the same time?
- Yes. The 25th Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo runs in Odori Park, West 1 and 2 Chome, from 19 November to 24 December 2026 — overlapping the Odori illumination in both dates and location, so you can do both in one evening.
- Is this the same as the Sapporo Snow Festival?
- No. Sapporo runs three separate winter events: the White Illumination (this one, from 19 November), the Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo (19 November – 24 December) and the Sapporo Snow Festival (early February). Visit around New Year and you get the first two; come in February and you get the Snow Festival plus the later-running illumination venues.
- Why does the official site show two different date ranges?
- The official venue-detail pages state a run of 20 November 2026 to 14 March 2027, but those pages also say they still carry last season's content and will be updated from around 15 October. We follow the front page, which lists dates venue by venue with weekdays that check out (19 November 2026 is a Thursday, 13 March 2027 a Saturday). Re-confirm after the October refresh.
Getting there
Odori, Ekimae-dori, Minami-1-jo-dori, Akapla and Sapporo Station South Exit (plus a new Nakajima Park venue for 2026) — Odori, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido