Setsu Winter: What to Do in Niseko in February?

Clearer days with still excellent snow conditions, February is an excellent month to experience the magic of Japan’s winter festivals happening in and around Niseko.

In Setsu

Live Music at Setsu

Every Sunday and Monday

Relax and unwind to live music performances every Sunday and Monday, from 16:30 – 18:30, while basking in the warmth of the fireplace right in Setsu’s lobby. Live music will be performed by the various musicians, each presenting their own style of music. 

Head on over to Park90 for a glass of wine to accompany the live music playing throughout the night. 

More Details

Chinese New Year Celebrations at Setsu

16 – 18 February 2026

Join us for another New Year event with our Chinese New Year celebrations. Guests can look forward to various events happening over three days, including the Chinese Lion Parade, live music performances, and the Lion Dance.

In and Around Niseko

Lake Toya Fireworks

 3 – 12 February 2026

Lake Toya, a popular onsen town an hour away from Niseko, will be holding their very own fireworks show this winter as well. A bright night in Lake Toya will welcome visitors with their stunning illumination tunnel now accompanied by a winter fireworks display for the first two weeks of February.

The fireworks display will start at 20:30 and will last for around 8 minutes.

Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

31 January – 23 February 2026

Hokkaido’s representative winter festival is happening this February. The famous Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival, just less than two hours away from Niseko, is a hotspot during winter where crowds gather to see the breathtaking ice sculptures made from the lake’s water. Known for having some of the cleanest water in Japan, these ice sculptures glow blue during the day and illuminate multicoloured lights at night, making the festival worth visiting at any time of the day. 

End your visit at the festival with some warm food and drinks from one of the many food stalls located in the area.

Sapporo Snow Festival

4 – 11 February 2026

Another famous winter festival is the Sapporo Snow Festival, held annually every February for a week in three different locations right in Sapporo. Odori Park will be the main venue of the festival, featuring snow sculptures of different sizes, including replicas of castles and World Heritage sights. At night, enjoy projection mapping displays, making the festival even more fantastical.

The other two sites will be at Tsudome where families can have fun with snow slides and snow rafts; and Susukino where visitors can admire 60 intricately designed ice sculptures.

Otaru Snow Light Path

7 – 14 February 2026

A much anticipated event in Otaru, the Snow Light Path is on its 28th year this 2026. Watch as Otaru becomes more romantic at night with the city bathed in warm glowing candlelights. Different parts of the city will be lit up but the most popular spot will be the iconic canals that suddenly become a sea of floating glass-blown candles. Other sites are the former Temiya Railway and Asarigawa hot spring village. 

Yukitopia

14 – 15 February 2026

Yukitopia is Kutchan’s local winter festival where the whole community gathers to have fun out in the snow. Enjoy a weekend of snow tubing, snowman building, snow sculptures displays, and an array of local offerings of the food stalls in the area.

Kutchan is the town adjacent to Hirafu and is easily accessible by the buses and shuttles in the area including Setsu Niseko’s Kutchan shuttle.

Showa Shinzan Snowball Fight

Late February

If you loved having snowball fights as a kid, the Showa Shinzan Snowball Fight is an event that you will definitely want to watch. While snowball fighting tournaments are now an international event, it originated from Sobetsu, a town located a little more than an hour’s drive away from Niseko. Today, the Showa Shinzan Snowball Fight is also the biggest in the world.

Watch as professional snowball players coming from all over Japan and the world fight it out in, surprisingly, tension-filled 3-minute matches. Whichever team has the most remaining players after a match, or whoever first steals the opposing team’s flag wins.

Ongoing Events

Snow Light Path (Jozankei)

Until 3 February 2026

On the other side of Lake Toya and just an hour’s drive away from Niseko is Jozankei. Another hot spring town that holds an illumination very much different from Lake Toya’s.

Announced to be the last of its current format, this year’s Snow Light Path will be held from 27 January from 18:00 – 21:00. A conclusion of a 15-year tradition, Jozankei Shrine will be lit up from the ground up with thousands of candles. Visitors can walk within this magical space and peacefully enjoy the warm scenery. Past the Snow Light Path area, one will be greeted by the snow forest, or the “Forest of Prayer”, that is illuminated by colourful lights and images that seamlessly blend into its surroundings.

Sapporo White Illumination

Until 14 March 2026

For the whole month of January, different parts of Sapporo will be illuminated by festive and colourful lights, making the exploration of the city much more exciting. From trees wrapped up in white glowing lights to light and sound performances, combined with Sapporo’s gorgeous snowy landscape, visitors can look forward to experiencing a festive Hokkaido winter wonderland.

Lake Toya Illumination

Until 27 April 2026

An hour’s drive away from Niseko, Lake Toya’s stunning Illumination Tunnel can be visited until April.

While Lake Toya’s Illumination Street is held all year round, the Illumination Tunnel only happens during the winter months, right at the centre of this famous hot spring town. 70 metres long with approximately 400,000 light bulbs, visitors can enjoy strolling through the tunnel, admiring the breathtaking festive glow it provides.