Your Next Overseas Ski Trip, Sorted: Snow Machine Japan Has Unveiled Its Hefty 2025 Lineup
This alpine music festival is expanding to two Japanese locations, with Hakuba and Niseko both pairing live tunes with skiing, snowboarding and après ski in March.
If you like music and skiing, Snow Machine has served up a winning combination of the two since 2020. It takes place in chilly climes. It enlists a heap of top-notch talent to provide the tunes. And, as it soundtracks a snow-filled week, it plays out like a massive frosty party. For Australians, it also boasts another huge drawcard: getting you to take an overseas alpine holiday.
When Snow Machine first debuted its savvy mix, it did so in Japan. Then came an expansion to Queenstown in New Zealand in 2022, where it's still going strong and will return come September 2024. Thinking ahead to the colder weather in the northern hemisphere in 2025, the fest has not only locked in its plans for Hakuba, its OG home, but is expanding to Niseko as well.
Snow Machine has also unveiled the lineup for its two next Japanese dates, with Hakuba first up from Tuesday, March 4–Sunday, March 9, then Niseko from Monday, March 10–Saturday, March 15. Chase & Status leads the bill in both locations, with Action Bronson, Hot Chip doing a DJ set, Melanie C, A-Trak and Ken Ishii among the other names.
Attendees will catch a club set from Bob Moses as well, plus DJ sets from each of Jungle and Sbtrkt. The roster of talent keeps going from there with Claptone, Cyril, Dillon Francis, DJ Kentaro, DJ Nobu & Wata Igarashi, Horse Meat Disco, Jimi the Kween, Monorochrome and Riton — plus Vintage Culture in Niseko only.
Snow Machine Japan might next return when autumn will be kicking off Down Under, but it's one helluva excuse for a getaway during Japan's snow season. No matter where it's taking place, this is the hottest festival for the colder months, treating festivalgoers to action-packed days on the slopes, après ski events and its hefty lineup of international acts against an idyllic backdrop. And, because this is Japan, onsen trips, sake aplenty and yakitori bites are usually also on offer.
Other than the wintry setting, one of the things that sets Snow Machine apart from other music fests is being able to book your entire getaway with your ticket. Packages span five or seven nights of accommodation, and include a festival ticket across the entire event, plus a four-day lift pass for Goryu & Hakuba 47, Tsugaike, Iwatake, Happo, Norikura and Cortina in Hakuba — and Niseko United in Niseko.
A word of warning: unsurprisingly, the packages are popular. Although the Snow Machine Japan 2025 lineup has only just been announced, packages are already 70-percent sold out.
If you're keen to take care of your own place to slumber and just nab a festival ticket, that's an option as well — via both day and four-day passes.
Snow Machine Japan 2025 Locations and Dates:
Tuesday, March 4–Sunday, March 9 — Hakuba
Monday, March 10–Saturday, March 15 — Niseko
Snow Machine Japan 2025 Lineup:
Chase & Status
A-Trak
Action Bronson
Bob Moses (club set)
Claptone
Cyril
Dillon Francis
DJ Kentaro
DJ Nobu & Wata Igarashi
Horse Meat Disco
Hot Chip (DJ set)
Jimi the Kween
Jungle (DJ set)
Ken Ishii
Melanie C
Monorochrome
Riton
Sbtrkt (DJ set)
Vintage Culture (Niseko only)
Snow Machine Japan 2025 will be held across Tuesday, March 4–Sunday, March 9 in Hakuba and Monday, March 10–Saturday, March 15 in Niseko. For more information and tickets, visit the festival's website.
Images: Pat Stevenson.
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