Let's go to a food festival where you can taste Hokkaido's gourmet food!
The Food Fest, where you can enjoy seasonal produce, is a great opportunity to taste the delicious gourmet foods of Hokkaido! In addition to gourmet foods, there are many other events that you can only experience here. We hope you will join us at the Food Fest to enjoy the flavors of Hokkaido.
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Spring - Summer (May - August)
In spring and summer, you can enjoy the colorful Hokkaido. These are pleasant seasons and perfect for excursions. Gourmet food under the blue sky is exceptionally delicious! Here are some events held during this refreshing season.
- Spring Crab Battle in Abashiri
- Held: May
Place: 網走市 道の駅「流氷街道網走」特設会場
Abashiri is famous for its hairy crabs; the hairy crabs landed around mid-April are called "drift ice hairy crabs" and are exquisite.
This event is the place to enjoy these crabs. If you catch a thrown crab, you can take it home for free! At the venue, live crabs are boiled at once in a special boiling pot, and you can taste fresh and delicious hairy crabs. 
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- Akkeshi Cherry Blossom and Oyster Festival
- Held: May
Place: 厚岸町 子野日公園
While enjoying cherry blossoms in full bloom, visitors will enjoy seafood such as oysters and large clams, which are a specialty of Akkeshi, grilled over charcoal.
There are many events such as catching oysters There is also a clam catching event for children to enjoy. Many people visit this festival every year. 
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- Abalone and Futami Salmon Festival
- Held: July
Place: 八雲町 熊石漁港ふれあい広場
This event offers the delightful opportunity to savor abalone and salmon with the fragrant aroma of the sea. A charcoal-grilled station is set up, allowing visitors to enjoy freshly grilled abalone and scallops right after purchasing them. Additionally, there are various entertainment options, including stage performances, bingo lotteries, and a music show, making for an exciting festival experience. 
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- Odaito Shrimp Festival
- Held: July
Place: 別海町 尾岱沼漁港特設会場
The Odaito Shrimp Festival is a beloved summer tradition in Betsukai Town. Visitors can indulge in fresh Hokkai Shima shrimp and clams, all locally sourced from Odaito. The festival features exciting events such as live shrimp eating, a speed-eating contest, and a spectacular music show with special guest performers. With plenty of family-friendly activities, it's a lively celebration of seafood and summer fun! 
- Official site (Japanese)
Autumn (September and October)
Autumn in Hokkaido is so full of delicious foods that you may want to go out of your way to visit during this season! Here are some events where you can enjoy the flavors of autumn.
- Shintoku New Soba Festival
- Held: September
Place: 新得町 保健福祉センター「なごみ」前駐車場
Shintoku Town is famous for its soba noodles. The "Handmade Soba Stall Village," where visitors can enjoy freshly harvested, freshly milled, freshly kneaded, and freshly boiled soba known as the "Four Freshness" soba, is a huge success. Additionally, other stalls such as the "Soba Café," where visitors can enjoy soba crepes like soba inari sushi and soba crepes, allow people to indulge in delicious soba in various ways. 
- Official site (Japanese)
- Sapporo Autumn Fest
- Held: September
Place: 札幌市 大通公園内
A grand celebration of Hokkaido’s flavors! This food festival brings together delicious seasonal ingredients and local gourmet specialties from across the region. As visitors stroll through the long rows of stalls set up in Odori Park, the excitement of choosing what to eat fills the air. With over 2 million attendees, it is one of Sapporo’s most popular events. 
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- Furano Wine Grape Festival
- Held: September
Place: 富良野市 清水山
The Furano Autumn Harvest Festival brings together the region’s three major wineries, offering visitors the chance to enjoy the popular Furano wine, luxurious grape juice made from locally harvested grapes, and the festival-favorite cheese fondue. Guests can also experience grape-stomping performances and live music stage events, making it a celebration of Furano’s rich natural bounty. 
- Official site (Japanese)
- Hakodate Gourmet Circus
- Held: September
Place: 函館市 はこだてグリーンプラザほか
This is one of Hakodate's largest food events. Tents of local gourmet foods will be lined up in a row. Visitors can taste gourmet foods from popular Hakodate restaurants as well as fresh local seafood and mountain delicacies. There will also be a variety of specialty foods, beer, and other delicious gourmet foods. Visitors can also enjoy gourmet foods from all over Tohoku and other parts of Japan with ties to Hakodate. 
- Official site (Japanese)
- Horokanai Town New Soba Festival
- Held: September
Place: 幌加内町 役場前周辺
Horokanai Town, known as Japan’s top soba-producing area, hosts the New Soba Festival, where not only local favorites but also renowned soba restaurants from across the country set up stalls, allowing visitors to enjoy a variety of delicious soba dishes. The festival features exciting competitions such as the "Amateur Soba Making Rank Certification Tournament" and the "Hokkaido Amateur Soba Master Tournament," where participants showcase their soba-making skills. Guests can also experience traditional stone mill grinding, adding to the immersive soba experience. 
- Official site (Japanese)
- Akkeshi Oyster Festival
- Held: October
Place: 厚岸町 子野日(ねのひ)公園
This event showcases Akkeshi’s famous oysters, clams, and other fresh seafood. Visitors can enjoy grilling their purchased seafood on provided charcoal grills, savoring the rich flavors of the ocean. Popular attractions include the annual oyster-grabbing challenge and the kids’ clam-catching activity, making it a lively and enjoyable festival for all ages. 
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- Tomakomai Fishing Port Hokki Festival
- Held: October
Place: 苫小牧市 苫小牧港西港漁港区
Tomakomai boasts the highest surf clam (Hokki-gai) catch in Japan! The annual festival is a lively event featuring local specialties such as surf clam curry, surf clam rice, and surf clam yakisoba. Visitors can also purchase surf clams at special prices. Exciting activities like the "Surf Clam Speed Peeling Contest" and "Surf Clam Hunting" add to the fun, making it a must-visit celebration for seafood lovers. 
- View more (Japanese)
- Ikeda Town Autumn Wine Festival
- Held: October
Place: 池田町 ワイン城横イベント広場
This event, held at Tokachi Wine’s brewing facility, Ikeda Wine Castle, offers an indulgent experience for food and wine lovers. Guests can enjoy unlimited Tokachi wine, savor charcoal-grilled Hokkaido beef, and even witness the spectacular whole-roasted beef. It’s a true feast celebrating the rich flavors of Tokachi cuisine. 
- View more (Japanese)
Winter (November and December)
Hokkaido's gourmet food is even more delicious in the harsh winter months! Hot soups and other dishes served outside are superb. Here are some popular events held every winter.
- Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo
- Held: November
Place: 札幌市 大通公園内
This annual event recreates the Christmas market of Sapporo’s sister city, Munich, Germany. Visitors can enjoy booths selling traditional German holiday dishes, including Christmas specialties and sausages, as well as charming Christmas-themed items. Santa Claus makes daily appearances, adding to the festive atmosphere. 
- View more (Japanese)
- Hiroo Horsehair crab Festival
- Held: December
Place: 広尾町 シーサイドパーク広尾特設会場
Hiroo, a town known for its thriving fishing industry, hosts a popular event featuring a massive 2-meter-wide pot used to boil delicious horsehair crabs and crab soup. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of fresh seafood from Hiroo, along with fun activities like prize raffles and other exciting festival events. 
- View more (Japanese)
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