Odori Park significant event Sapporo Snow Festival
Odori Park (大通公園, Ōdōri Kōen) is a park located in the heart of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Ōdōri (大通) means "large street" in Japanese. It stretches east to west through Nishi 1 chōme, Ōdōri to Nishi 12 chōme, Ōdōri ("Nishi" means west, and "chōme" is a block in Japanese), and divides the city into north and south sections. Odori Park spans about 1.5 km and covers 78,901 m². During the urban planning of Sapporo, it was originally designated as the main street but it eventually became a park. Throughout the year, many events and ceremonies such as the Sapporo Lilac Festival and the Sapporo Snow Festival are held in the park, and local landmarks including the Sapporo TV Tower and the Sapporo City Archive Museum are located within its boundaries.Events
It snows in winter in Sapporo, and the White Illumination, an event during which the trees lining the Park are decorated with illuminations, takes place during that season. Every February, the Sapporo Snow Festival, a festival with snow statues and several events, is held throughout Odori Park. In recent years, this huge festival has had over 2 million visitors per year from all over Japan and the world.
The park is home to about 400 lilac trees, and hosts the Lilac Festival every May for about 10 days.
Every June, the Yosakoi Soran Festival, a huge dance festival in Hokkaido, is held in the Odori Park. A number of special stages are constructed, and thousands of dancers parade and dance down the streets and on the stages.
In summer, the Park changes into a large beer garden. From Nishi 5 chōme to Nishi 8 chōme, major Japanese breweries including Sapporo Breweries Limited set up their own beer gardens, serving beers and snacks. The beer garden serving beers of the world is Nishi 10 chōme. Until 2003, a place providing beers from local microbreweries was constructed in Nishi 11 chōme.
The annual Hokkaido Marathon is staged from the park in late August.
The popular Autumn Fest takes place for about 3 weeks in September, and showcases food stalls by restaurants from around the city and beyond.
After concerns over the marathon events for the 2020 Summer Olympics after excessive heat during the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, World Athletics and the Tokyo Olympic Committee announced on 4 December 2019 the 2021 Olympic Marathon (date change announced 30 March 2020) would be held in Sapporo instead of Tokyo in an effort to avoid the hottest time of day.