Japan Festival Calendar 2027
46 festivals across Japan, month by month. Plan your trip around the days that only come once a year.
Date status
- Confirmed by organizers checked against the organizer's 2027 announcement
- Same dates every year the festival is tied to these dates
- Set by the traditional calendar fixed by the zodiac or seasonal calendar
- Estimated from past years follows a weekday rule; confirm before booking
Getting there
- ★ Easy access: from central Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka
- ★★ Day trip: a few hours by train
- ★★★ Overnight trip: plan to stay nearby
January 2027
Guide: Hatsumōde, the first shrine visit of the year
- Jan 7
Usokae at Dazaifu Tenmangū 鷽替え（太宰府天満宮）
In the evening dark, visitors swap little wooden bullfinches to trade last year's bad luck for good.
- Jan 9–11
Tōka Ebisu 十日戎
Osaka's festival for the god of business, with lucky bamboo branches handed out by shrine maidens.
- Jan 23
Wakakusa Yamayaki 若草山焼き
Fireworks, then the whole grassy hillside of Mount Wakakusa is set alight above Nara Park.
Held on the fourth Saturday of January.
No festivals in this region this month.
February 2027
- Feb 2–4
Setsubun at Yoshida Shrine 吉田神社 節分祭
Demons chased out by a four-eyed exorcist, 800 food stalls and a midnight bonfire of old charms.
Setsubun falls on February 3 in 2027.
- Feb 4–11
Sapporo Snow Festival さっぽろ雪まつり
Giant snow and ice sculptures fill Ōdōri Park and the Susukino district, lit up every evening.
- Feb 15–16
Yokote Kamakura Festival 横手の雪まつり かまくら
Children invite passers-by into candlelit snow huts for rice cakes and sweet amazake.
- Feb 20
Saidaiji Eyō (Naked Festival) 西大寺会陽
Thousands of men in loincloths scramble in the dark for two sacred sticks thrown from a temple window.
Held on the third Saturday of February.
- Feb 25
Baikasai Plum Festival 梅花祭（北野天満宮）
Geiko and maiko serve tea under the plum blossoms on the anniversary of Tenjin's death.
No festivals in this region this month.
March 2027
- Mar 1–14
Omizutori お水取り（東大寺二月堂）
Giant torches swung along the balcony of a hilltop temple hall every night for two weeks.
- Mar 13
Kasuga Matsuri 春日祭
An imperial envoy brings offerings to Kasuga Taisha in an ancient court ritual. Most of the rite is closed to the public.
No festivals in this region this month.
April 2027
- Apr 14–15
Takayama Spring Festival 春の高山祭（山王祭）
Twelve ornate floats and mechanical puppet shows in an old merchant town in the Japanese Alps.
- Apr 19–20
Furukawa Festival (Okoshi Daiko) 古川祭 起し太鼓
Near midnight, hundreds of men in loincloths jostle to carry a giant drum through the streets of an old castle town.
No festivals in this region this month.
May 2027
- May 3–4
Hakata Dontaku 博多どんたく
A huge Golden Week street parade of dancers and rice-paddle clappers through central Fukuoka.
- May 8–9
Kanda Matsuri 神田祭
One of Tokyo's three great festivals. 2027 is a main-festival year, with a day-long procession and some 200 portable shrines.
Held in full only in odd years. The procession and mikoshi days are usually a weekend in early to mid May.
- May 15
Aoi Matsuri 葵祭
A procession of 500 people in Heian-period court dress, decorated with hollyhock leaves.
Postponed by a day in rain.
- May 17–18
Nikkō Tōshōgū Spring Grand Festival 日光東照宮 春季例大祭
Mounted archery on the 17th and a procession of a thousand samurai warriors on the 18th.
- May 21–23
Sanja Matsuri 三社祭
Asakusa's wild three-day festival, with about 100 portable shrines bounced through the streets around Sensō-ji.
Held on the third Friday to Sunday of May.
No festivals in this region this month.
June 2027
- Jun 4–6
Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Matsuri 金沢百万石まつり
A costumed parade recreating the lord Maeda Toshiie's entry into Kanazawa, plus lanterns floated on the river.
Usually held over the first weekend of June.
- Jun 30 – Jul 2
Aizen Matsuri 愛染まつり
Osaka's first summer festival, with women in yukata carried in festive palanquins.
No festivals in this region this month.
July 2027
- Jul 1–31
Gion Matsuri 祇園祭
A month of rituals, with giant floats paraded on July 17 and 24 and lantern-lit evenings before each.
- Jul 1–15
Hakata Gion Yamakasa 博多祇園山笠
Teams race one-tonne floats through Fukuoka; the final race starts at 4:59 a.m. on July 15.
- Jul 9–10
Hōzuki Market at Sensō-ji ほおずき市（浅草寺）
Stalls of orange ground-cherry plants and wind chimes fill the temple grounds in Asakusa.
- Jul 24–25
Motomiya-sai at Fushimi Inari 本宮祭（伏見稲荷大社）
Thousands of lanterns light the torii gates of Fushimi Inari on a summer evening.
Held on the first Sunday or holiday after the start of midsummer (doyō), with an eve the day before.
- Jul 24–25
Tenjin Matsuri 天神祭
One of Japan's three great festivals, with a river procession of about 100 boats and fireworks.
- Jul 31
Sumida River Fireworks 隅田川花火大会
Tokyo's most famous fireworks, about 20,000 shells over the Sumida River near Asakusa.
Held on the last Saturday of July.
No festivals in this region this month.
August 2027
- Aug 2–7
Aomori Nebuta Matsuri 青森ねぶた祭
Huge illuminated paper floats of warriors and gods paraded with leaping dancers. Anyone in costume can join.
- Aug 3–6
Akita Kantō Matsuri 秋田竿燈まつり
Performers balance bamboo poles hung with dozens of lanterns on their palms, foreheads and hips.
- Aug 5–7
Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri 山形花笠まつり
Thousands of dancers twirl flower-decorated straw hats through the city center.
- Aug 6–8
Sendai Tanabata Matsuri 仙台七夕まつり
Shopping arcades hung with thousands of giant paper streamers for the star festival.
- Aug 12–15
Awa Odori 阿波おどり（徳島）
Japan's biggest dance festival. Over a million visitors watch, and anyone can join the dancing.
- Aug 16
Gozan Okuribi 五山送り火
Giant bonfire characters light up five mountains around Kyoto to send ancestral spirits home.
- Aug 28–29
Kōenji Awa Odori 東京高円寺阿波おどり
Tokyo's biggest Awa Odori dance festival, with about 10,000 dancers in the streets of Kōenji.
Held on the last weekend of August.
No festivals in this region this month.
September 2027
- Sep 12–18
Hōjō-ya at Hakozaki-gū 筥崎宮放生会
A week-long autumn festival with hundreds of street stalls along the approach to a great Hachiman shrine.
- Sep 15
Iwashimizu-sai 石清水祭
A night procession in court dress that begins in the small hours, with a ritual release of fish and birds.
- Sep 16
Yabusame at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū 鶴岡八幡宮 流鏑馬神事
Riders in hunting dress gallop down a track and shoot at targets, the highlight of the shrine's annual festival.
- Sep 18–19
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri 岸和田だんじり祭
Four-tonne wooden carts are hauled at a run and swung around street corners with a man dancing on the roof.
Held on the weekend before Respect for the Aged Day.
No festivals in this region this month.
October 2027
- Oct 7–9
Nagasaki Kunchi 長崎くんち
Dragon dances, ship floats and Dutch- and Chinese-inspired performances reflect Nagasaki's history as a port.
- Oct 9–10
Takayama Autumn Festival 秋の高山祭（八幡祭）
The autumn festival of Sakurayama Hachimangū, with eleven floats and a lantern-lit evening parade.
- Oct 16–17
Kawagoe Matsuri 川越まつり
Floats meet face to face in "Little Edo" and hold musical battles of drums and dancers.
Held on the third Saturday of October and the following Sunday.
- Oct 22
Jidai Matsuri 時代祭
A two-kilometer procession of costumes from every era of Kyoto's history as the capital.
Postponed by a day in rain.
- Oct 22
Kurama Fire Festival 鞍馬の火祭
Villagers carry blazing pine torches through a narrow mountain village north of Kyoto at night.
Trains to Kurama are crowded and limited on the night. Check the latest viewing arrangements before going.
No festivals in this region this month.
November 2027
- Nov 2, 14, 26
Tori-no-ichi 酉の市
Stalls sell decorated bamboo rakes to "rake in" good fortune at shrines such as Ōtori Shrine in Asakusa.
Held on the Rooster days of November. In 2027 these are November 2, 14 and 26.
- Nov 8
Hitaki-sai at Fushimi Inari 火焚祭（伏見稲荷大社）
Hundreds of thousands of prayer sticks are burned in bonfires to give thanks for the harvest.
No festivals in this region this month.
December 2027
- Dec 2–3
Chichibu Night Festival 秩父夜祭
Lantern-lit floats hauled up a steep slope under winter fireworks.
- Dec 15–18
Kasuga Wakamiya On-matsuri 春日若宮おん祭
A festival held without a break since 1136, with a costumed procession and ancient dances performed at night.
- Dec 17–19
Hagoita Market at Sensō-ji 羽子板市（浅草寺）
Stalls sell elaborate decorated battledores, lucky charms for the New Year.
No festivals in this region this month.
About these dates
Dates come from shrine, temple, city and tourism association announcements. Festivals that follow a weekday rule, such as "the third Saturday", are marked as estimated until the organizers confirm them. Times, routes and paid seating are announced closer to each festival, so check the full guide or the organizer's website before you book.