🏮 Memuro Hyoutouya

めむろ氷灯夜

Memuro, Hokkaido (Memuro Park) · Every year in February

Snow festival

Memuro Hyotoya is a winter event representing the Tokachi region, held at Memuro Park in Memuro, Hokkaido. It takes place each year around Valentine's season in February, when about 2,500 ice candles are set up and lit in the venue. In 2020 it reached its 30th holding, and it is run mainly by the Hyotoya Executive Committee within the Memuro Tourism and Local Products Association. The ice candles are handmade by the executive committee in below-freezing temperatures; water is poured into buckets, frozen overnight, and then removed the next morning by pouring hot water over them. In addition, cairns are made by groups such as the JA Women's Division and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women's Division, and snow sculptures are made by townspeople, with the venue prepared through local cooperation. Highlights on the day include the lighting of the candles and fireworks coloring the winter night sky, as well as a music festival, an ice mask display, a tunnel of light, and a fat bike experience. There is also a paid sauna area, shops, and a free shuttle bus, and it is enjoyed by a wide range of people, from families to tourists.