Japan sees plenty of music festivals in the summertime. From Fuji Rock to Ultra, the hotter months always equate to moshing in scantily-clad crowds, with partygoers trying to cram as many music events as possible before the end of the season. While outdoor concerts usually seem like a faraway dream during the freezing winter, it's not hard to distract yourself with the fresh powder on the slopes of northern Japan. In Nagano, however, it looks as though you won’t have to swap out one seasonal pursuit for the other.
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Snow Machine, the winter music festival that made an impressive debut in 2019, is set to return in 2026 for a five-day celebration from March 3 to 8 at the ski resorts of Hakuba. Festivalgoers can carve through fresh powder by day and catch live sets at on-mountain stages with breathtaking alpine views, then head to the main arena at night for high-energy performances and après-ski parties. Swap your neon tank tops for equally bold snowsuits and ride the ski lift to stages perched high in the mountains. Hakuba is about three hours from Tokyo — take the shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagano (host city of the 1998 Winter Olympics), followed by a one-hour bus ride to the resort area.
Many of the acts will be coming from Australia to perform a variety of genres ranging from indie pop to EDM, and will be joined by a handful of local up-and-coming artists. The lineup of DJs and musicians currently includes Hannah Laing, Cyril, Gorgon City, Bag Raiders, Steve Aoki, Hiroko Yamamura and CYK Tokyo – just to name a few.
Two different plans are now available at vastly different price points. The first is a four-day festival-only access pass, priced at AUD521 (about ¥51,859). The second is the Festival Package, which bundles the four-day festival passes with ski lift passes, lodging and access to after parties. Prices vary for this plan depending on the lodging and length of stay, but you're asked to put in a AUD399 (about ¥39,653) non-refundable deposit to book.
Book the festival passes through the official website here. You can also book tickets to music gigs and events happening in Tokyo through us here.
This article was published on October 18 2019 and updated on October 24 2025.
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