The spectacular Sapporo Snow Festival is underway in Japan.

Running between 31 January and 11 February, the country's largest winter wonderland event on the northern island of Hokkaido is now in its 70th year, and is regularly attended by around 2 million people.

The festival takes over the city's downtown Odori Park, Tsu Dome and Susukino district every year.

The first area houses several hundred brilliantly-crafted ice statues, often of iconic characters or famous figures like baseball legend Hideki Matsui, Darth Vader or Mickey and Minnie Mouse, all spectacularly lit up by night; the second is given over to snow slides and downhill sledging; the third to competitions.

One of Susukino's centerpiece events is the International Snow Sculpture Contest, in which teams of competitors from all around the world descend to build enormous monuments.

Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time Show all 45 1 /45 Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2015 "Star Wars" produced by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2014 Sapporo's local idol group, Team Crereco performs on a stage in front of a 10-metre high and 18-metre-wide ice statue of the National Palace Museum in Taipei AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2009 Ice sculptures od Disney characters Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2017 Visitors watch the projection mapping show at the snow statue of "the Central Golden Hall, Kofukuji temple in Nara" AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2009 People gather in front of an ice sculpture entitled "Friends in the Southern Ocean" AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2007 People admire the large snow sculpture of mammoths AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2014 An animation is projected onto a large snow sculpture of "Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula" that is in India AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2019 A visitor takes a picture of a snow statue featuring tennis player Naomi Osaka during the opening day of eight-day Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo on February 4, 2019. - JAPAN OUT (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUTJIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images JIJI PRESS AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 1964 The Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan, February 1964. The ice sculptures are generally themed around the upcoming 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but one large sculpture depicts the Great Sphinx of Giza. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Central Press Getty Images Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2014 Thailand team makes their snow sculpture entitled "Buffalo Still Alive" AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2001 385241 13: One of approximately 326 snow and ice sculptures is on display for the Sapporo Snow Festival event February 6, 2001 at Odori Park in Sapporo, Japan. The festivities will be continuing through February 12 at three sites. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Liaison) Koichi Kamoshida Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2006 A Narnia snow Getty Images Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2015 Snow sculptures lit up AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2019 Star Wars snow statue AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2009 People gather in front of a snow sculpture entitled "Northern Animal Family" at the 60th Sapporo Snow Festival at Odori Park in central Sapporo on February 5, 2009. The festival opened in Sapporo with the hundreds of snow statues and ice sculptures. AFP PHOTO /Kazuhiro NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images) KAZUHIRO NOGI AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2001 385241 12: One of approximately 326 snow and ice sculptures is on display for the Sapporo Snow Festival event February 6, 2001 at Odori Park in Sapporo, Japan. The festivities will be continuing through February 12 at three sites. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Liaison) Koichi Kamoshida Getty Images Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 1972 1972: Visitors to the 22nd Sapporo Snow Festival on the island of Hokkaido in Japan admiring an ice statue of Benten, a goddess of luck, music, eloquence, art and fortune at (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) Keystone Getty Images Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2009 Ice sculpture with real fish frozen inside Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2012 Snow sculptures of seals and fish AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2005 Visitors admire a large ice sculpture of former city hall of German's Leipzig at Odori Park AFP/Getty Images Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 1999 A soldier of Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces makes snow sculpture replica of the painting 'Mona Lisa' in three-dimension AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2007 Visitors watch the huge snow sculpture of "the Antarctic" featuring the Japanese Antarctic expedition ship 'Soya," the Sakhalin huskies, Taro and Jiro and Antarctic animals AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2014 An ice sculpture of the Palace of the Heart AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2008 Children pose in front of the snow sculpture at the Odori park in central Sapporo on February 5, 2008. The annual Sapporo Snow Festival kicked off today with the hundreds of beautiful snow statues and ice sculptures. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images) KAZUHIRO NOGI AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2017 The Arc de triomphe de l'Etoile snow statue AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2007 A family poses in front of the snow sculpture of the Disney character Stitch AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2015 A large snow sculpture of the Hsing Tian Kong, a popular temple in Zhongshan Distric in Taipei AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 1972 1972: An ice sculpture at the 22nd Sapporo Snow Festival held in Odori Park on the island of Hokkaido, Hapan. Sapporo is an Olympic winter games site. The ice sculpture is of Momotaro a character in a Japanese fairy tale. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) Keystone Getty Images Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2015 A snow sculpture of Japan's figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2014 Tourists visit an 18-metre high and 28-metre-wide snow statue of the Sultan Abdul Samad building AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2015 An animation is projected onto a large snow sculpture AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2014 "Winter Sports Paradise, Hokkaido" AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2017 A singer performs on the stage of the Taipei Guest House snow statue AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2016 Children look at the 15-metre-tall snow statue of "Attack on Titan" AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2006 Visitors pose in front of an ice sculpture featuring Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2015 Japan's game soft character Monster Strike AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2015 Visitors look at a large snow sculpture called the Manila Cathedral of the Philippines AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2019 People watch the horse racing snow statue during the opening day of eight-day Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo on February 4, 2019. - JAPAN OUT (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUTJIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images JIJI PRESS AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2015 Visitors gather around colorful ice sculptures AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2014 Children play on a snow slide AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2006 SAPPORO, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 12: Ice Sculptures are displayed at Odori Koen during the 57th Sapporo Snow Festival February 12, 2006 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Two million people are expected to visit the annual week long festival featuring snow and ice scupltures from around the world, it is the largest winter attraction in Hokkaido. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) Cameron Spencer Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2006 A 'Taiwan' snow sculpture Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2008 SAPPORO, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 05: Miss Japan contestants attend the opening ceremony of the Snow Festival in Odori Park.at Odori Park prepared for Sapporo Snow Festival 2008 on February 5, 2008 in Sapporo, Japan. The 59th Sapporo Snow Festival takes place from February 5 to 11, expects 2 million tourists. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images) Koichi Kamoshida Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2013 Taiwanese dancers perform in front of a large snow sculpture of Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall at the opening of the annual snow festival in Sapporo, on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on February 5, 2013. Some two million people are expecting to visit the week-long festival which has over 200 snow sculptures. AFP PHOTO / TAKASHI NOGUCHI (Photo credit should read TAKASHI NOGUCHI/AFP/Getty Images) AFP AFP/Getty Best snow sculptures at Sapporo Snow Festival through time 2009 School children gather in front of a snow statue of Japanese Olympic athletes at the 60th Sapporo Snow Festival at the Odori park in central Sapporo on February 5, 2009. The festival will be held in Sapporo until February 11, with hundreds of snow statues and ice sculptures on display . AFP PHOTO /Kazuhiro NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images) KAZUHIRO NOGI AFP/Getty

A beauty contest to crown the Susukino Queen of Ice is also staged every year.

The Sapporo TV Tower at the eastern end of Odori Park is a popular attraction as it serves as an observatory deck from which to view the landscape by night. Tickets to the top are always highly-prized.

Now an established winter tradition, the event was begun on a whim by schoolchildren, who came together to build six sculptures after a heavy blizzard. Their work proved a surprise local hit, drawing a crowd of some 50,000 spectators.

The city's reputation for snow sculptures really took off when members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces from the nearby Makomanai military base joined in in 1955. Four years later, as many as 2,500 people were taking part.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Sapporo hosted the 1972 Winter Olympic Games, televised around the world, and the local ice displays stole the show. The event has grown ever since, attracting tourists from across the globe.