he Sapporo Snow Festival began in 1950, when local middle and high school students exhibited six snow sculptures at Odori Park. Today, it has become a major wintertime spectacle in Sapporo attracting over 2 million visitors from all over Japan and abroad. Snow sculptures and ice sculptures large and small line Odori Park for around 1.5 km between 1-chome and 12-chome, and the statues are lit up at night. The 11-chome site is for international participants, where teams from around the world display their works, and you can also watch their works in progress during the festival. The Tsudome site has giant snow slides and other ways to have fun in the snow, while the Susukino venue features an ice sculpture contest, an ice bar, and colorful lighting for night-time viewing.