Hokkaido Illumination 2026-27 [Dates]: Sapporo Starts Nov 20, Plus Otaru, Asahikawa, Obihiro & Hakodate for Campervan Trips

The first lights to come on in Hokkaido, based on last season, are Otaru’s “Aonounga (Blue Canal),” which started on November 1. For 2026-27, Sapporo is the only event with officially announced dates. The Sapporo White Illumination runs from November 20, 2026 to March 14, 2027 (official Sapporo Tourism page, checked 2026-10-05). The official pages for the other four events still show last season’s dates, so each one is labeled “last season: from (date) to (date).”

If you are going in November, Sapporo, Asahikawa, Obihiro and Hakodate all start in the second half of the month. The only thing you can see in the first half of November is Otaru’s Blue Canal; the other venues are not lit yet. For campervan travelers, this article covers each venue’s location, lighting hours and driving notes, limited to what I could confirm on the official pages.

When and where do Hokkaido’s illuminations start? A list in order of start date

The events are listed from the earliest start date. Sapporo is the only one with a 2026-27 announcement. The others show last season’s (FY2025) results, not this year’s dates.

No.	Event	Period	Lighting hours	Location	Status
1	Aonounga / Blue Canal (Otaru)	2025-11-01 – 2026-01-31	Sunset to 22:30	Otaru Canal (Asakusabashi Bridge to Chuo-bashi Bridge)	Last season’s results. 2026-27 not yet announced
2	Sapporo White Illumination	2026-11-20 – 2027-03-14	Until midnight during the Christmas period (check the official page for daily hours)	Odori Park, Ekimae-dori, Minami 1-jo-dori, Sapporo Kita 3-jo Plaza, JR Sapporo Station South Plaza	2026-27 announced
3	Yukinowa Asahikawa (Asahikawa)	2025-11-22 – 2026-03-08	16:30–23:00 (17:30–23:00 from February 12)	Heiwa-dori Shopping Park, Midoribashi-dori, 7-jo Green Road, Showa-dori, Tokiwa Rotary	Last season’s results (FY2025). 2026-27 not yet announced
4	Obihiro Illumination Project (Obihiro)	2025-11-29 – 2026-02-23	16:00–24:00	In front of the north exit of JR Obihiro Station (Nishi 2-jo Minami 12-chome)	Last season’s results (FY2025). 2026-27 not yet announced
4	Hakodate Christmas Fantasy (Hakodate)	2025-11-29 – 2025-12-25	16:30–17:45 and 18:00–22:00 (from 18:00 on the first day)	In front of the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse (Suehirocho 14-2)	Last season’s results. 2026-27 not yet announced

Last season’s schedule can differ from this year’s. For Otaru, Asahikawa, Obihiro and Hakodate, check each official page for updates before you fix your departure date. If an update appears, this table will be rewritten. The official page gives Sapporo’s lighting hours only as “until midnight during the Christmas period” and does not list hours for other days (checked 2026-10-05).

Which venues can you see in November, December, January, February and March?

Mapping last season’s periods onto the months gives the following. ◯ means the month falls within the period; − means it is outside it. Otaru, Asahikawa, Obihiro and Hakodate are last season’s results, and this year may differ.

Month	Sapporo (2026-27)	Otaru (last season)	Asahikawa (last season)	Obihiro (last season)	Hakodate (last season)
November	From the 20th	◯ (from the 1st)	From the 22nd	From the 29th	From the 29th
December	◯	◯	◯	◯	Until the 25th
January	◯	Until the 31st	◯	◯	−
February	◯	−	◯ (lit from 17:30 from the 12th)	Until the 23rd	−
March	Until the 14th	−	Until the 8th	−	−

Sapporo runs the longest, and last season’s Asahikawa ran almost as long. Three venues, Sapporo, Asahikawa and Obihiro, can be enjoyed into January and February. Hakodate ends on December 25, so the weeks before Christmas are the time to go.

Sapporo’s 2026-27 dates are already out. Where are the venues?

The Sapporo White Illumination runs from November 20, 2026 to March 14, 2027. The listed venues are Odori Park (blocks 1–5), Ekimae-dori (Kita 4-jo to Minami 4-jo), Minami 1-jo-dori (Nishi 1 to 3-chome), Sapporo Kita 3-jo Plaza (Akapura) and JR Sapporo Station South Plaza (Sapporo Tourism Association, checked 2026-10-05). The end date for each venue is not given on this English page.

Whether you can park near the Sapporo venues, and where a realistic campervan base is, is covered in our article on Sapporo White Illumination parking for campervans. This article does not go into it.

Otaru’s Blue Canal: until when, and until what time?

Last season’s Blue Canal ran from November 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026, lit from sunset until 22:30. It is held along the Otaru Canal between Asakusabashi Bridge and Chuo-bashi Bridge and organized by the Otaru Tourism Association (Otaru Tourism Association’s Blue Canal 2025 page, checked 2026-10-05). The page has no information on 2026-27.

Sunset differs by more than an hour between November and January, so the lighting start time changes from day to day. Look up the sunset time for the day you plan to visit.

Asahikawa and Obihiro start in late November and continue until the end of winter

Asahikawa’s Yukinowa Asahikawa (FY2025) ran from November 22, 2025 to March 8, 2026. It is lit from 16:30 to 23:00, and from 17:30 to 23:00 from February 12. The areas are Heiwa-dori Shopping Park (Miyashita-dori to 1-jo-dori, and 5-jo-dori), Midoribashi-dori, 7-jo Green Road, Showa-dori and Tokiwa Rotary (Asahikawa City official page, checked 2026-10-05).

Obihiro’s FY2025 event ran from November 29, 2025 to February 23, 2026, from 16:00 to 24:00. About 43,000 LED bulbs are lit in front of the north exit of JR Obihiro Station (Nishi 2-jo Minami 12-chome) (Obihiro City official page, checked 2026-10-05). For both, no 2026-27 dates were on the official pages as of that date.

For places to stay in Obihiro and Tokachi, see our article on five RV parks in Obihiro and Tokachi.

Hakodate ends on December 25. What were last season’s hours?

Last season’s Hakodate Christmas Fantasy ran from November 29 to December 25, 2025. The venue is in front of the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse (Suehirocho 14-2). The tree is lit from 16:30 to 17:45 and from 18:00 to 22:00 (from 18:00 on the first day), and the fireworks are at 18:00 (Hakodate International Tourism and Convention Association official page, checked 2026-10-05). There is no information for 2026.

For parking around the bay area and a winter base, see Hakodate Christmas Fantasy by campervan. For overnight parking spots in Hakodate, see our article on 10 places to stay overnight in Hakodate.

Why aren’t illuminations in other towns listed?

There are events in Toya-ko, Goryokaku, Chitose, Kushiro, Kitami, Muroran and elsewhere, but as of 2026-10-05 I could not open an official page from the organizer, municipality or tourism association to confirm the dates, so they are not in this table. Our policy is not to state a period based only on search-result summaries. If you have already decided on a town, check the dates on that town’s tourism association page.

What should you watch out for when driving to see illuminations?

Sapporo, Asahikawa, Obihiro and Hakodate all have venues in the city center. For parking near the venues, check the dedicated articles listed in the earlier sections for Sapporo and Hakodate. This article has not confirmed parking in Asahikawa, Obihiro or Otaru. Check the venue’s official page.

From late November, there will be days when the roads freeze. For when to switch tires, see our article on when to change to studless tires; for winter driving in general, the complete guide to winter campervan driving; and for nighttime temperatures and heating preparations, our article on Hokkaido winter temperatures.

Because you view illuminations at night, it is safer to plan so that you drive only a short distance afterward. Places where you can park overnight in winter are listed in 13 RV parks and Michi-no-Eki open in winter.

What to check before you leave

• Whether the official page of the venue you are visiting has updated this year’s period and lighting hours
• For Sapporo, the end date for each venue and the daily lighting hours
• Sunset time (Otaru’s Blue Canal is lit from sunset)
• Reservations for where you will stay, and whether it is open in winter
• Your vehicle’s tires and heating. If renting, confirm the winter equipment when you book

If you want to line up other winter events with your dates, try the calendar of 14 Hokkaido winter events and 43 things you can only do in winter Hokkaido. If you want to enjoy illuminations while it is still autumn, there is our article on autumn foliage light-ups.

Pages to read next

• What can you do on a November trip to Hokkaido? Autumn foliage, illuminations, and closed roads and facilities
• Sapporo White Illumination parking for campervans
• Hakodate Christmas Fantasy by campervan
• Calendar of 14 Hokkaido winter events
• Sounkyo Ice Falls Festival by campervan
• Hokkaido autumn foliage light-ups by campervan

Featured image: Sorah Fukumori “Sapporo White Illumination 2016” (CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)