Asahikawa and Sapporo Snow Festivals in 2015

We would like to get to both the Asahikawa Winter Festival and the Sapporo Snow Festival in February 2015. are the proposed dates available or is there a predictable rule to the dates they are scheduled?

Also, are there any other special winter events or places of interest in Hokkaido or Honshu that we should look into for a trip in late January/Early February 2015?

are the proposed dates available or is there a predictable rule to the dates they are scheduled?

I observed it over the years. The dates are not announced until about a year in advance. Possibly less than a year in advance in case of the Asahikawa one. There seems to be a pattern, but the pattern seems to get occasionally changed. So, it is somewhat risky.

My prediction for the Snow Festival is February 5-11, 2015.

And for the Asahikawa Winter Festival February 6-11, 2015.

In recent years, both of them end on the national holiday (usually February 11) and are 7 resp. 6 days long.

I like the winter festivals in Sounkyo and Otaru as well. Sounkyo is very near Asahikawa but you'll need to spend a night there while Otaru can be done as a day trip from Sapporo.

There is also one in Lake Akan but it is very far journey from Sapporo.