Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen Snow Festival
越後湯沢温泉雪まつり
Early March 2027
Yuzawa, Niigata
The dates for this event have not been confirmed yet. They are an estimate from the event’s own pattern, and this page is updated as soon as the organiser announces the real ones — check the official site for the latest. Last held 7 March 2026.
The Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen Snow Festival is a one-night affair on the first Saturday of March, held on the Nunoba slope of Yuzawa Kogen Ski Resort at the foot of the town's shinkansen station. It marks the closing weeks of a long snow season in one of the snowiest places in Japan, and it has the easy, local feel of a resort saying goodbye to winter: snow candles along the base of the slope, a portable shrine carried through the snow, folk performances on a snow stage and hot food from the town's ryokan.
The evening builds to two set pieces. From about 19:30, instructors and skiers descend the slope in a torchlight procession, a river of fire coming down the mountain in the dark, and a fireworks display over the slope closes the night. Arrive by 18:00 to walk among the candles and see the mikoshi before the crowd gathers at the bottom of the run.
Yuzawa is a short ride from Tokyo by Joetsu Shinkansen and the ski resort's base is a few minutes' walk from the station, which makes this one of the simplest snow festivals to reach. Most visitors stay in the town's hot-spring inns and make a weekend of skiing. The 2026 date follows the usual rule but has not been formally confirmed, so check with the town before travelling. Expect a modest, friendly event rather than a spectacle.
The dates shown follow the event’s usual pattern and are expected rather than announced; they are updated here as soon as the organiser confirms them.