Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival

The Hyobaku Matsuri runs annually from late January through mid-March on a 12,000-square-meter venue along the Ishikari River below the onsen village. The crew builds about 30 sculptures over three months, including 13-meter-high ice rooms, observation decks, and ice tunnels. After dark, the entire venue is lit in shifting colored projections; mid-festival fireworks weekends draw the largest crowds. The 2026 dates ran January 24 through March 8.