Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival 2027: Getting There from Sapporo by Car and What to See

The Chitose-Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival fills the lakeside at Shikotsuko Onsen, the hot spring village on Lake Shikotsu, with ice sculptures built up by spraying lake water over frames through the winter. Its Japanese name, Hyoutou Matsuri, means ice-wave festival. In 2027 it runs from January 30 to February 23, about an hour and twenty minutes by car from Sapporo. I drove there on February 8, 2025 and spent about an hour at the festival in daylight, when the ice glows a pale blue. This guide covers the 2027 dates and prices, the winter road to take from Sapporo, parking, the bus if you have no car, and what to expect on the ground.

1Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival 2027: dates, hours, admission and where it is

The 2027 festival runs from Saturday, January 30 to Tuesday, February 23, 2027, from 10:00 to 20:00, with the lights on from 16:30. Admission for age 12 and up is 1,000 yen on weekdays and 3,000 yen on weekends and public holidays, and children of elementary school age and younger are free. All of this, and the payment methods below, is from the official site (in Japanese) as of October 31, 2026.

The weekend price is new for 2027. Until 2026 it was 1,000 yen every day; the organizers raised the weekend and holiday price to ease weekend crowding and to cover rising costs (notice of July 2, 2026, in Japanese). If you can go on a weekday, you save 2,000 yen a person and get a quieter site.

The festival also calls itself an ice museum. If you are driving, set your navigation to Shikotsuko Onsen.

2How to get to the ice festival from Sapporo

By car: skip the Route 453 mountain pass and come in via Chitose

In summer the usual road from Sapporo to Lake Shikotsu is Route 453, which crosses a mountain pass to the north shore. In winter that pass is packed snow and ice, so I did not use it. Instead, take the Hokkaido (Do-o) Expressway, the toll road south from Sapporo, to the Chitose interchange in Chitose, the city with the airport, then Prefectural Road 16, a two-lane local road, west to Shikotsuko Onsen. It is about 40 minutes on the expressway from central Sapporo to Chitose and about 40 minutes more on the local road, so allow about an hour and twenty minutes, plus extra time if the roads are bad. You pay a toll, but you stay on plowed main roads the whole way and there is no pass to climb. Prefectural Road 16 is also the road from New Chitose Airport, which is about 40 minutes from the festival.

If you are renting a car in winter, read my notes on snow tires and winter driving first.

Driving in Hokkaido: A Local's Guide to Renting a Car and the RoadsHow to rent a car and drive in Hokkaido, from a Sapporo local who drives every week: the license you need, expressway tolls and the Hokkaido Expressway Pass, road rules, and winter driving.

Parking is free in winter, but weekends fill up

The Shikotsuko Onsen public car park, with about 400 spaces, normally costs 500 yen a day for a car, but it is free from December 1 to March 31 (Chitose tourism association, in Japanese, as of October 31, 2026), which covers the whole festival. It is a short walk from the car park to the festival gate.

The catch is weekends. The Tsuruga group, which runs hotels in the village, said in a notice dated January 30, 2026 that on weekends and holidays the car parks around the venue fill up and traffic backs up on the approach road. If you drive on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, arrive in the morning or by about 13:00, and save the evening illuminations for a weekday.

Without a car: the festival bus, the local bus, a taxi or a tour

• Hyoutou BLUE LINER: a reservation-only bus that runs only during the festival between New Chitose Airport, JR Chitose Station and Shikotsuko Onsen. In 2027 it costs 2,000 yen one way for anyone of elementary school age and up (official site, as of October 31, 2026). Book ahead; it has 45 seats and no standing room.
• Local bus: Hokkaido Chuo Bus runs from JR Chitose Station and New Chitose Airport to Shikotsuko Onsen, about an hour from Chitose Station. From Sapporo Station, take the JR rapid train to Chitose first. Check the timetable and fare on the Chuo Bus site before you go.
• Taxi: about 8,000 yen from New Chitose Airport (official site, as of October 31, 2026).
• Tours: travel sites sell day tours from Sapporo during the festival. They are the easy option if you want to see the illuminations and do not want to drive back on dark winter roads.

3What you see and how long it takes (a visit on February 8, 2025)

The ice pillar, the walls, the dome and the tunnel

The first thing you see inside the gate is the tall ice pillar in the middle of the grounds. On a sunny day the ice is translucent and turns the pale blue that the festival calls Shikotsu blue.

Around it stand walls of ice several times a person's height. Up close you can see the layers where the sprayed water froze on top of the last layer.

You can walk into the ice dome. An ice chandelier hangs from the ceiling, and the whole wall glows light blue.

The ice tunnel is made by freezing water over tree branches, so you walk between icicles and frozen needles, lit green even in the daytime. Beyond it is a passage like an ice cave.

About an hour is enough, and daytime is worth it too

I went in at 13:00 and had seen everything in about an hour. The grounds sit right on the shore, so you also get the lake, Mt. Fuppushi across the water and the red Yamasen bridge, a former railway bridge, in the same view.

Go in daylight if you are driving for the day and want an easy drive home; the blue of the ice shows best with the sun on it. Go in the late afternoon on a weekday if the illuminations are the point, and arrive before the lights come on so you see both. Events such as fireworks change from year to year, so check the official site's event page.

What to wear

You spend close to an hour outdoors on snow and ice, so wear boots with a good grip. I wore a thin down jacket with a second down jacket over it, and that was about right at midday. It will be colder after dark, so dress for that if you stay into the evening.

Lunch: himemasu sushi at Kotobuki

I ate in the village before the festival, at Kotobuki, where the specialty is himemasu (kokanee), the lake's own landlocked salmon. Four pieces of himemasu sushi and a bowl of hot soba were the right lunch for a day spent outside. Food stalls on the festival grounds change from year to year, so check on the day.

4FAQ about the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

Q1. How much are tickets for the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival in 2027?

1,000 yen on weekdays and 3,000 yen on weekends and public holidays for age 12 and up; elementary school age and younger are free (as of October 31, 2026). You pay at the gate in cash, by card or with PayPay.

Q2. When is the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival 2027?

From January 30 to February 23, 2027, open 10:00 to 20:00, with the illuminations from 16:30.

Q3. Is the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival worth it?

Yes, if you like the look of the ice itself. The sculptures are made from lake water and are translucent, so in daylight they turn blue, and you can walk inside the dome and the tunnel. It is a one-hour visit, not a whole day, so pair it with lunch in the village or a bath at Marukoma Onsen.

Q4. Should I go in the day or at night?

Day if you want the blue ice and an easy drive home; weekday evening if you want the lights. On weekends and holidays the car parks fill up during the afternoon, so for a night visit go on a weekday or take the bus from Chitose.

Q5. Can I get there from Sapporo without a car?

Yes. Take the JR rapid train from Sapporo Station to Chitose, then either the reservation-only Hyoutou BLUE LINER (2,000 yen one way in 2027) or the Hokkaido Chuo Bus to Shikotsuko Onsen, about an hour from Chitose Station.

Q6. How is it different from the Sounkyo Ice Festival and the Sapporo Snow Festival?

They differ in how far they are from Sapporo and in what the sculptures are made of. The Sapporo Snow Festival is snow sculptures in the city in early February. The Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival is also sprayed ice, but it is in the mountains north of Asahikawa, about three hours from Sapporo by car, while Lake Shikotsu is an easy day trip.

Q7. Where can I stay near the festival?

Shikotsuko Onsen has hotels within walking distance of the grounds, including the Tsuruga group's Mizu no Uta and Ao no Za and the Kyukamura Shikotsuko. Marukoma Onsen on the north shore is a quieter inn with lakeside baths, about 20 minutes away by car.

5Near the festival

Shikotsuko Onsen village

The festival grounds are in the hot spring village, with Kotobuki for himemasu, the red railway bridge and, from spring to autumn, the underwater sightseeing boat.

Shikotsuko Onsen: Himemasu, the Underwater Boat and the Red Bridge at Lake ShikotsuA local's guide to Shikotsuko Onsen on Lake Shikotsu: where to eat himemasu, the underwater sightseeing boat (price, season), the red Yamasen Railway Bridge, parking, accessibility and how to get there from Sapporo or New Chitose Airport.

Marukoma Onsen

On the north shore, with baths right on the lake. Day-use bathing is on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. I bathed there on the morning of February 8, 2025 before the festival, looking out through the icicles at the frozen shore and Mt. Fuppushi.

Marukoma Onsen Day Bath: Hot Springs on the Shore of Lake ShikotsuA local's guide to the day bath at Marukoma Onsen on Lake Shikotsu: baths that feel part of the lake, the natural bath that rises from the stones, the sauna with a lake-water plunge, day-bath days and price, and the private bath.

6Lake Shikotsu by car

My one-day route around the lake from Sapporo, with the winter version that goes in via Chitose.

Lake Shikotsu Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's RouteA local's day trip to Lake Shikotsu by car: the Okotanpe viewpoint, a lakeside bath at Marukoma Onsen, lake trout for lunch and the underwater boat, plus the ice festival and winter tips.