World Famous Snow Festival Held in Sapporo Strives for Sustainability amid "Unprecedented Challenges" Caused by Climate Change

The 75th Sapporo Snow Festival will be held on February 4 - 11, 2025, in the City of Sapporo, Japan's Northern Capital. As one of the world's largest snow sculpture festivals, the city will be transformed into a winter wonderland featuring over 200 snow sculptures, some towering over 12 meters tall. With 2 million people from around the globe attending each year, the festival has become one of the most anticipated events on Japan's calendar.

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However, the festival is currently facing a variety of unprecedented challenges. There are financial problems arising due to the increased operating costs and a decrease in advertising revenue, as well as a shortage of large sculpture production staff. Additionally, the festival is facing the ongoing threat of global warming. In recent years, increasingly irregular snowfall patterns have made it harder to gather the required amount of snow, and the rising temperatures are causing the sculptures to melt and lose their shape. Hidenori Takagi, a veteran snow sculpture maker reflects, "When I started (17 years ago), global warming wasn't as terrible and the temperatures tended to be low. But these days, it can get up to 5 to 6 degrees, which melts the snow, and we lose all our progress."

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To address these impending issues, the city is currently exploring ways to create a more sustainable festival. As Tomonori Aoyama, Director General for Sapporo City Tourism & MICE Promotion Department, states, "To address the unprecedented challenges, we need to find imaginative solutions with the help of domestic and international co-operation." This year, to limit carbon dioxide emissions, there are hydrogen energy trials and solar panels in some areas of the festival.

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The snow sculptors are not deterred by the challenges ahead. Takagi shares the profound effect of the experience, saying, "Creating large snow sculptures is a big challenge. There are more and more things we must think about every year, from designing the models to building the sculptures, it takes about three months of preparation, which is extremely tough. But when people from all around the world come to see what we've made and we see their reactions, I know that it is worth doing. To put it a little dramatically -- it feels like we're receiving energy to live."

Despite the ongoing challenges, Sapporo is taking on the task to preserve the Snow Festival tradition, while adapting to new changes. The City welcomes those who come and witness firsthand its efforts towards the future of the Snow Festival.

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Please refer to the links below for additional information about the festival and Sapporo tourism.

Snow Festival's official website: https://www.snowfes.com/en/

The Untold Story behind the Sculptures: https://visit.sapporo.travel/topics/2025/01/16/the-sapporo-snow-festival-the-untold-story-behind-the-sculptures/

Sapporo City official tourism website: https://visit.sapporo.travel/