Muikamachi’s winter festival, with snow sculptures, snow play, and stage performances
Minamiuonuma City Snow Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Event status
- Cancelled
- Season / frequency
- Every February (before the decision to discontinue it) / Held annually (discontinued in 2024)
- Area
- Niigata Prefecture・Minamiuonuma City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 40 min–2 h 10 min · bullet train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Highlights and activities
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Minamiuonuma City Snow Festival brightened winter in Muikamachi with snow sculptures, kamakura snow huts, snow activities, and stage performances. It grew out of snow-sculpting activities that began in 1951, and its discontinuation was officially decided in January 2024.
About Minamiuonuma City Snow Festival
The Minamiuonuma City Snow Festival was a snow event held every February in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture.
Snow-country features such as snow sculptures, hon-yara-do (kamarura snow huts), and snow slides decorated the venue.
It grew out of snow-sculpting activities in the Muikamachi area and developed into a local winter event.
Source: 南魚沼市雪まつり - Wikipedia
Festival highlights
Highlights included venue displays making use of the snow, such as snow sculptures, snow-wall art, hon-yara-do, and snow slides.
Past editions also featured banana boat rides across the snow and jib sessions.
The snow stage hosted quiz competitions, performances, dancing, and popular song shows, offering a variety of performances amid snowy scenery.
Source: 第69回南魚沼市雪まつりが開催されました - 南魚沼市
Muikamachi’s winter festival, with snow sculptures, snow play, and stage performances
What to expect
At past editions of the festival, the venue featured snow sculptures, kamakura snow huts, and snow slides, where visitors could try snow activities.
The stage featured quiz competitions, taiko performances, dancing, and popular song shows.
The program included community-oriented events as well as snow play, such as high school students selling sweets in collaboration with local confectionery shops.
Location and access
- Address
Minamiuonuma City
Host municipality 新潟県南魚沼市
This map shows the surrounding area, not the exact venue location.
Dates and season
- Season
Every February (before the decision to discontinue it)
- Frequency
Held annually (discontinued in 2024)
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Niigata Prefecture / Minamiuonuma City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The Minamiuonuma Snow Festival has been discontinued in 2026, so there is no event information for you to plan a visit around.
Past events featured snow slides and banana boats, so visitors needed clothing suited to snowy conditions and appropriate footwear.
If you come across an event with the same name in the future, check who is organizing it and the year it will be held.
Origins and History of Minamiuonuma City Snow Festival
The Minamiuonuma City Snow Festival developed from the Muikamachi Snow Festival, which originated with snow-sculpting activities that began in 1951 after World War II.
Events held in different parts of the Muikamachi area were consolidated at a single location because of difficulties securing venues.
Later, the festival was held to coincide with the annual festival at Daijingu Shrine in Isemachi, Minamiuonuma City, held every year on February 14; its discontinuation was officially decided in January 2024.
Official information
The Minamiuonuma City official website features a report on the 69th Minamiuonuma City Snow Festival, held in Heisei 31.
Information confirms that a snow sculpture contest, stage shows, and snow activities were held at a special venue below Muikamachi Bridge.
This is not an announcement about the 2026 event.
Minamiuonuma City Snow Festival at a Glance
Originating with snow-sculpting activities in the Muikamachi area, the Minamiuonuma City Snow Festival was a winter event featuring snow sculptures, kamakura snow huts, snow slides, and stage performances.
It also featured activities that brought together snow play and local culture, such as taiko performances, dancing, and the sale of sweets in collaboration with the community.
Its discontinuation was officially decided in January 2024, and it will not be held in 2026.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
Submit information or a correction Submit photos of this festival
