32 best summer festivals in Tokyo 2026: fireworks, Bon Odori, tanabata and more

Put on a yukata and head over to Sunshine City’s 47th annual Bon Odori dance festival. The lively outdoor event, which is accompanied by invigorating taiko drum beats, takes place around a six metre-tall yagura turret decorated with colourful festive lanterns. 

Inexperienced participants can simply copy the moves of the professionals who’re dancing at the top of the turret. The night will feature various traditional dances, including the Tokyo Ondo and Otsuka Monogatari Ondo, offering a glimpse into local dance traditions.

There will be ten food stalls and a children's matsuri game area where you can enjoy traditional Japanese festival grub and activities like shateki shooting and superball fishing for free. The event takes place every day from 7pm to 9.15pm at Sunshine Hiroba, which is on the rooftop of Sunshine City's Alpa shopping mall.

In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled.

First held in 1948 to mark the launch of Toei Bus service in the Ome region, this fireworks display is recommended for those who want to escape the crowds at Tokyo's big-name alternatives. The 'falling fire' pyrotechnic effect is impressive (and loud!), but the real highlight is when the nearby Nagayama Hill is lit up by a massive fountain of bursting colours inspired by flowers.

For the best views, a ticketed viewing area is available at Ome City Daiichi Elementary School and the nearby TCN sports field facility, with prices starting at ¥2,500 per entry. You can make your bookings online in advance, from July 5 to July 31. For the best bang for the buck, we recommend viewing the show nearby for free or purchasing standing seat tickets at the Ome City Daiichi Elementary School field (¥1,000), as more seats are typically available there.

There will be no on-site ticket sales for the paid viewing areas. The event is subject to cancellation in case of stormy weather, so be sure to check the event website before visiting.

Join in and dance to the infectious rhythm of taiko drums at the Ebisu Bon Odori Festival on July 31 and August 1. This summer tradition, which is being held for the 71st time in 2026, always commands a large crowd, as the event is held right in front of Ebisu Station, occupying a fairly spacious area outside the West gate.

For two days, a towering yagura stage will take over the taxi and bus drop-off zone while the entire area is closed off to traffic, allowing the public to move and dance around freely. Festival food stalls are set up near Shake Shack, and are joined by a kids' arcade and a kakigori shaved ice stand. Expect all the classic summer matsuri treats, from crispy fried dumplings and cucumber on a stick to refreshing shaved ice desserts.

This fireworks festival at Fujimori Park in Hachioji is returning this year on August 1 from 7pm. It’s a relatively small affair compared to other similar festivals in Tokyo, with around 4,000 rockets expected to be launched. However, what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for with an interesting array of explosions – including regular and wide starmines. The hour-long pyrotechnic show is free and you can watch the fireworks from several areas in the park – including the Fujimori Gymnasium parking lot and Hachioji Veterans Memorial Tower Square.

More details on the event website.

From this year, premium seating with the best views will also be available through private donations. Further details will be announced in June.

Taking advantage of a serendipitous schedule clash, Itabashi's annual fireworks display takes place at the same time as the one in Toda City (Saitama prefecture), just across the Arakawa River. 

You can expect a combined 15,000 shells of fireworks at this 90-minute event. On show are various styles of pyrotechnics, including an enormous star mine and the spectacular ‘Niagara Falls’, a 700-metre chain of explosions that always draws the biggest cheers of the night. As a special treat this year, there will be giant Poké Ball and Captain Pikachu-themed fireworks, too.

While the fireworks are free to watch, you may want to secure access to a paid viewing area or reserve a seat for the best views this year, as the free viewing zones have been significantly reduced for safety reasons. New for 2026, a spacious paid general admission area directly east of the Arakawa Biology and Ecology Park will be available for ¥2,000 per person through Ticket Pia, with each ticket including a picnic blanket and cushions. Reserved seating, meanwhile, ranges from ¥4,500 to ¥6,000 for individual tickets and from ¥18,000 to ¥48,000 for groups of four to eight people. Tickets go on sale online from 10am on June 13.

Before you go, we recommend you check out the venue map and access information on the event website.

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is staying open until 9.30pm for just two days on August 1 and 2. You’ll get to experience a Showa-style summer festival at this nostalgic attraction filled with historical and heritage buildings. 

Kids can expect fun games like target shooting and rubber duck fishing, as well as a dedicated mikoshi (portable shrine) parade for them to participate in on both days at 6pm. Adults, on the other hand, would enjoy the 15-minute Awa Odori dance performances put on by the Koganei Awa Odori Promotion Council, happening two times a day at the main entrance plaza and Yamanote street (times TBA). There will also be demonstrations on the making of Edo Kiriko glass, Edo-style folding fans and shinobu hanging fern decorations on both days from 6pm to 9pm. These items will also be sold on site.

Parts of the museum grounds will be lit up, including with spooky illuminations at the Murakami Seikado cosmetics store heritage building, with a few of the buildings operating as shops selling drinks, retro stationery and flowers. You'll also find plenty of food trucks to keep you satiated throughout the night, including a dagashi vendor offering old-school Japanese snacks.

From 2026, advance online reservations are required to help prevent overcrowding. Although admission is free for junior high school students and younger, a free timed-entry numbered ticket must still be obtained online. Date and time-specific tickets will be available for purchase starting at 11am on July 17. Tickets will not be sold on-site, and the event may be cancelled in the event of thunderstorms. Be sure to check the official event website before your visit.

Nakameguro is celebrating summer with lively Awa Odori and Yosakoi performances over the August 1-2 weekend. The annual festival is bigger than ever, with more than 65 participating teams performing on August 1 and 2, respectively, from 6pm to 8.30pm along the Nakameguro Ginza shopping arcade.

Many restaurants and cafés in the area will have stalls set up outside offering takeout food and drinks for you to enjoy while watching the performances. Free soft drinks will be handed out to the first 7,000 visitors on both days.

Bon Odori is a traditional summer dance festival held during Obon, a Buddhist custom to commemorate one's ancestors. This particular festival, one of the biggest in Tokyo, will be held right outside Nakano Station. 

Unlike most Bon Odori festivities in Tokyo which take place in the early evening, this Nakano event has an early start at around 10am with a series of music and dance performances. However, the main attraction only begins at 4.40pm, featuring celebrity guests (including the popular super sento idols Junretsu) and DJs playing J-pop tunes.

You can expect a good workout dancing to invigorating tracks from spinners including DJ Koo and DJ Celly. But what we are really looking forward to is matching Bon Odori dance steps to classic hits from Bon Jovi, who have endorsed the use of their songs at the festival.

Everyone is welcome to join in the Nakano Bon Odori Festival, and it’s free.

Yukata-clad spectators crowd the streets of Harajuku and Aoyama during the mesmerising Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival, a display that ranks as one of Tokyo's top summer festivals. Now in its 45th year, this edition of the event will boast 10,000 fireworks, launched over the span of an hour from Meiji Jingu Gaien Rubber-ball Baseball Field.

The cluster of sports stadiums to the south of the launch site offers the best vantage points, with paid seating available at Meiji Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Ticket prices are yet to be announced for 2026 – more details to come here.

Alternatively, just wander around the surrounding area until you find somewhere you can see the action for free. The fireworks display lasts for one hour from 7.30pm to 8.30pm.

In case of stormy weather, the festival will be postponed to August 9.

Kanda Shrine’s Noryo Matsuri takes place over three days in August. This all-encompassing summer festival features everything from Bon Odori dancing to classic matsuri food, plus a small beer and sake festival that starts a day earlier on August 6.

During the Bon Odori session on Friday (4.30pm-8.30pm), you can dance to popular anime songs, while the ones over the weekend (from 5.30pm) feature Kanda Shrine’s original song ‘Kanda Myojin Ondo’. The organisers uploaded a practice video to their YouTube channel, so make sure to learn the steps before heading over. The festival ends at 8.30pm on all three days. The event may be cancelled in the event of bad weather. 

Bon Odori Dances will not be held on August 6.

Think of it as a host of Japan’s colourful matsuri (festivals) rolled into one. If you don’t have time to travel the length of the country, this event offers a convenient way to experience some of Japan’s most famous regional celebrations in a single place.

Featured festivals and performances include Tottori’s Shan-shan Festival umbrella dance, Shimane’s Iwami Kagura, Nagasaki’s dragon dance from Nagasaki Kunchi, Okinawa’s Ryukyuan taiko drumming, Tokyo’s Koenji Awa Odori, Tokushima’s Awa Odori Festival and Hokkaido’s Yosakoi Soran Festival.

Guests can also enjoy stalls offering regional cuisine prepared by chefs from Tokyo’s premier wedding venue, Happo-en, along with traditional festival games such as shateki shooting and yo-yo fishing.

Tickets are now on sale, with early bird discounts available until July 20 via the event website.

Asagaya has been holding its own distinctive Tanabata festival for 70 years now – complete with extravagant kusudama ornaments and a colourful curtain of wind-swept streamers, but the event has moved with the times. In recent years, the papier-mâché decorations dangling from the ceiling of the Pearl Center shopping arcade have included modern characters like Godzilla, Chiikawa, Buzz Lightyear and even Donald Trump.

The decorations are there to be seen all day long, but many people wait until dusk to go and enjoy them. That's when the shopping street comes alive with a host of food and drink stalls offering Japanese festive fare.

With around 6,000 fireworks shells, Koto Ward’s annual hanabi festival may not be as large as some of Tokyo’s other fireworks events, but its scenic riverside setting more than makes up for it. Head to Arakawa Sunamachi Riverside Park for a spectacular show launched just 150m from the viewing area. As the event falls on a public holiday this year, expect bigger crowds than usual.

Seating reservations are required to access the venue. While prices are yet to be announced for 2026, ticket usually start at ¥5,000 per seat. More details are to be announced on July 1 via the official city website.

Granted, it's a minnow compared to the Koenji Awa-Odori that takes place a week before, but Shimokitazawa's version of the famed dancing-in-the-streets fest (originally from Tokushima) has a unique charm of its own. Now into its 58th year, the two-day Shimokitazawa Awa-Odori sees 25 dance teams passionately romp along the neighbourhood's north-side main shopping streets in the evening, and dazzle the crowds with their special routines. Be sure to hang around afterwards, when the area is engulfed in a joyous party mood.

Check the event website for the latest details.

One of Tokyo's favourite traditional festivals, the annual Azabu-Juban Noryo Matsuri (‘noryo’ translates as 'cool of the evening') has been going on for over 50 years now. The festival is returning this year on August 22 and 23 at Patio Juban Square, the nearby Amishiro Park and along the streets of the fashionable Azabu-Juban shopping district. 

There will be plenty of dancing, performances and live music, along with food and game stalls, some of which are set up by local businesses. While details for 2026 are yet to be announced, expect the nearby Juban Inari-jinja shrine to host an ohayashi festival music performance, accompanied by Ise Ondo folk dancing. Dust off your yukata and prepare to mingle among the crowds. 

Visit the website for the festival map and programme.

Approximately 14 teams of elaborately attired dancers flood the streets of Asakusa for Japan's largest samba carnival. Now in its 41st year, these exuberant dance teams are largely from the Greater Tokyo region, and they will be shaking their tail feathers to the Brazilian beat as they parade along Umamichi-dori in front of Tobu Asakusa Station and Kaminarimon-dori in front of Sensoji Temple's iconic red lantern.

First held in 1981 in an attempt to revitalise the neighbourhood, the Asakusa Samba Festival is now one of Tokyo's more popular late-summer events. Every year, it attracts half a million spectators. 

The carnival begins at 1pm, with the parade beginning near Sensoji's Nitenmon Gate. Do note that selfie sticks, chairs, and tripods are not allowed in the spectator areas along the side of the road. You can check out the detailed map for the parade route here and read up on the participating teams here.

One of the most popular street dance festivals in Tokyo, Koenji's Awa Odori is returning this summer in full swing. This year, the celebration will feature over 150 Awa Odori dance groups parading around Koenji Station’s Pal shopping arcade, Koenji Junjo Shotengai shopping street and Konan street over the August 29-30 weekend.

The tradition of Awa Odori can be traced back to Tokushima, in the Shikoku region. Legend has it that the local daimyo plied his citizens with booze to celebrate the completion of the local castle in 1586, leading to a citywide outbreak of dancing in the streets. Whatever the accuracy of that tale, the enthusiasm was contagious, and Koenji has been holding a street dance fest of its own since 1957.

While the action starts at 5pm for both days, you'll need to arrive much earlier if you want to snag one of the best viewing spots along the three streets mentioned above.

Check the official website for more details.

Head straight to Rinko Park in Yokohama’s Minatomirai area for this annual Bon Odori festival by the sea. Festivities begin at 4.30pm, with special stage performances scheduled for both days.

If you're feeling peckish, you’ll also find food trucks selling all kinds of festival grub from the area. The food area is further expanded this year, with a food court area where visitors can take a break from bon odori dancing and enjoy matsuri cuisine.

The program is yet to be announced. Check the event website for more details.

Late August is always a good time for dancing in the streets, with many major festivals happening around this time of year. The Yosakoi dance originated in Kochi prefecture in 1954, where it was created to help revitalise the struggling post-war economy. Tokyo's very own Super Yosakoi festival, however, while relatively new, has been going on for over two decades now.

This massive event sees about 110 teams of brightly attired dancers from across Japan and around the world, trying to outdo each other as they strut their stuff to the rhythm of the naruko – a type of clapper that the people of Kochi originally used to scare birds away from the fields.

The dance performances take place at various locations within the Harajuku/Shibuya area. But if you only see one thing, make sure it’s the massive parade along the tree-lined Omotesando avenue on Sunday (times TBA for 2026).

Stage performances will also be held at Yoyogi Park on Saturday and Sunday. There are also smaller parades at the Yoyogi Park Event Square, along the road between the NHK Hall and the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, around the same time.

At the Yoyogi no Mori Bon-Odori venue (5-68-1 Yoyogi, Shibuya), you can enjoy Yosakoi performances from (times TBA for 2026) on Saturday and on Sunday.

For the latest information, check the event website.

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