Tokamachi Snow Festival 2027: 19–21 February (78th Edition)

The Tokamachi Snow Festival 2027 (the 78th edition) runs for three days, Friday 19 to Sunday 21 February 2027, across the city of Tokamachi in Niigata Prefecture. The dates come from the organiser, the Tokamachi Snow Festival Executive Committee, and the Tokamachi City Tourism Association and Niigata's prefectural tourism site list the same dates. Opening hours, the main-venue programme and the fireworks time have not been announced yet: the organiser says those details will follow "around December 2026". This page separates what is confirmed from what is not, and uses the 2026 edition to show how the weekend usually runs (checked 2026-10-13).

2027: confirmed vs. not yet announced

How the 2026 edition ran (for reference)

The organiser's 2026 plan and Tokamachi City's press release give the timetable below. 2027 may differ, so treat this as a guide to the shape of the weekend, not as the 2027 schedule.

The single most useful thing to know: the sculptures are not finished on the first afternoon. Local residents build them for the judging on the first evening, so the finished works can be seen from the first evening until the festival closes on the last day (Tokamachi City Tourism Association). If you want to tour the sculptures in daylight, plan around the Saturday.

What you will see

• Snow Art Exhibition. Every sculpture is made by local people specifically for this festival, typically around 40 works a year (Tokamachi City Tourism Association). In 2026, 42 groups took part: 17 in the art category, 9 in the special category and 16 school groups (Tokamachi City press release).
• Festival squares ("omatsuri hiroba"). These open in the town centre and in districts across the city; the tourism association describes about ten of them, and 2026 had 14. Depending on the square, there is snow play, rice-cake pounding, local food and more (Tokamachi City press release; Tokamachi Town News).
• Snow fireworks. In 2026 the "Niji-yuki Hanabi" (rainbow-snow fireworks) went up on the Saturday from 19:00 to 19:15 at the main venue. Whether and when they return in 2027 has not been announced.
• Main venue. In 2026 this was "Snow Rich Hiroba", around the grounds of Tokamachi Nishi Elementary School, about a 15-minute walk from Tokamachi Station. The 2027 main venue has not been announced.

Getting there

• By train from Tokyo. Take the JR Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Echigo-Yuzawa, then change to the Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line for Tokamachi Station — about 2 hours in total (organiser and tourism association).
• Special trains (2026 example). On the Saturday a limited express, the "Hokuhoku Tokamachi Yukimatsuri", ran from Shinjuku at 07:51 to Tokamachi at 11:26, returning from Tokamachi at 16:26 to Shinjuku at 19:58 (all seats reserved). Special trains for 2027 have not been announced.
• By car from Tokyo. Use the Kan-etsu Expressway to Muikamachi IC or Shiozawa-Ishiuchi IC; the organiser gives about 3 h 40 min from Tokyo. From Muikamachi IC it is about 30 min on Route 253. Winter tyres are mandatory.
• Parking. In 2026, eight temporary car parks opened on both Saturday and Sunday (for example JA Uonuma head office, about 180 cars, and City Hall, about 150), plus a ninth, Mizusawa Elementary School (about 30 cars), on the Saturday only; free shuttle buses circled the town. Because parking gets very crowded, the organiser asks visitors to use public transport, and the Tokamachi tourism association also asks them to share cars.

Because the squares are spread across the city, a paid "Snow Sculpture & Hiroba Loop Bus" ran in 2026 (¥500, free for junior-high students and younger, unlimited rides over two days). The 2027 bus arrangements have not been announced.

Cost

No 2027 prices have been published. In 2026 the organiser's paid items were limited ones such as the loop bus (¥500) and the "WEST Snow Park" play area at the main venue (¥500, one accompanying adult free per child); the shuttle buses were free.

What to wear

Tokamachi is one of Japan's snowiest places — snow in the mountain districts can be deeper than three metres (Tokamachi City Tourism Association). Much of the festival is on packed snow, so — as the tourism association advises — bring waterproof, non-slip boots and layers you can take off and put on. If you plan to stay into the evening, add an extra warm layer.

Background

The first festival was held on 4–5 February 1950. It grew from residents' idea of "making friends with the snow and enjoying it", and because it was the first snow festival in Japan run by local people themselves, Tokamachi is known as the birthplace of the modern snow festival.

More February snow festivals

Building a February trip? See our Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 guide.

Sources: Tokamachi Snow Festival Executive Committee, snowfes.jp (78th edition announcement, 77th edition plan), Tokamachi City press release (2 February 2026), Tokamachi City Tourism Association, and Niigata Tourism Navi — all checked 2026-10-13. Hours and venue details are due around December 2026, so check the official site before you travel.

Update log: 2026-10-13 — page created from the organiser's announcement of the 78th edition (19–21 February 2027).