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. In popular culture Ōdōri Park is a major location featured in the video game Yakuza 5, and it is seen during the scene where the character Taiga Saejima kidnaps the boss of the Kitakata Family, Daizo Kitakata, for questioning. See also Chūō-ku, Sapporo References External links Odori Park Official homepage Japan Travel Guide, Odori Park Chūō-ku, Sapporo Parks and gardens in Sapporo