11 best food and drink festivals happening in Tokyo over Golden Week 2026

Head over to Komazawa Olympic Park during Golden Week to spend an entire day sampling some of Japan’s best gyoza. There will be 16 stalls offering more than 30 different styles of this quintessential Japanese dumpling. Enjoy grounded wagyu beef and the meaty keema curry gyoza from Tokyo's Tamagawa Meat, juicy Shinshu wasabi and miso dumplings from Nagano, tangy and succulent lemon gyoza from Kyoto, Hakata-style hitokuchi (bite-size) gyoza and much more.

There will also be other dishes like fried rice to go with the gyoza, as well as craft beers from Hokkaido Brewing, Yatsugatake Beer and Kanagawa's Brimmer Brewing. There’s no entry fee, so you can just pay as you go. If you want to forgo the hassle of paying at each store, there is a package deal sold online for ¥4,500, which includes five ¥700 meal tickets, five ¥100 tickets, and one fast-pass ticket that lets you skip a queue.

Why wait until autumn to celebrate Oktoberfest? While the original Oktoberfest in Munich doesn't kick off until September, Tokyo's beer lovers can enjoy celebrations throughout spring, too. Odaiba’s outdoor Oktoberfest falls during Golden Week, when revellers can gorge on suds, sausages and sauerkraut by the waterside.

If you’re craving some Taiwanese food this spring, then drop by Tokyo Skytree Town for its Taiwan Festival. Head over to the fourth floor of Sky Arena until May 31 to feast on Taiwanese food throughout the day. Several stalls are offering popular Taiwanese festival cuisine such as lu rou fan (braised pork over rice), sheng jian bao (pan-fried soup dumplings) and da ji pai fried chicken.

You can also shop for Taiwanese goods and even enjoy massages and fortune telling. The dining area is decorated with red and Tainan-style vibrant lanterns to give it a Taiwanese night market feel.

The rooftop of Lumine Shinjuku has transformed into a Japanese summer-themed beer garden with a BBQ menu inspired by the aesthetics and beauty of Japanese summer. You can choose from Fuji, Hanabi (fireworks) or Fune (boat) barbecue courses, all offered in light (from ¥5,390), standard (from ¥5,940) and premium (from ¥6,490) options. The Around Japan Nippon BBQ Premium Plan offers a taste of all the cuisines in one go, for ¥8,140.

The Fuji course comes with wagyu beef sirloin, beef short ribs, pork marinated in miso, Hokkaido-style deep-fried chicken, and sausages, accompanied by an assortment of veggies and two sauces – wasabi soy sauce and regular BBQ sauce. The Hanabi course features a beef short rib, pork marinated in Hokkaido-style miso, chicken marinated in sake lees, shrimp, scallops and an assortment of veggies. The Fune course comes with a beef short rib, Tokachi glazed pork, shio koji marinated chicken thighs, thick sirloin wagyu steak, and an expanded assortment of veggies. All three sets include a 90-minute all-you-can-drink deal where you can choose from a list of 160 cocktails and soft drinks.

Niku Fes is back this Golden Week, bringing one of Tokyo’s biggest meat festivals to Odaiba. This year’s edition is the longest in the event’s 12-year history, running from April 29 to May 10, with plenty of live music alongside an extensive line-up of meat dishes.

You can feast on all kinds of meaty treats, from A5-grade steak and wagyu sushi to Philly cheesesteaks, juicy cheeseburgers and rich beef curry, courtesy of around two dozen restaurants from across Japan. Each one earned its spot after being selected from more than 100 applicants.

As for the drinks, there will be craft beer from Abashiri Beer in Hokkaido and refreshing Mexican Cuervo lemon sours to accompany your meal. You can enjoy desserts, too, including churros, gelato and kakigori shaved ice. 

While there are plenty of benches to sit on, including a family area which is available after buying 10 meal tickets, purchasing the premium lounge ticket gets you a dining space for four people. This deal features table service in a comfortable, shaded seating area. You can reserve it in advance on the website for ¥9,800. 

On April 30, May 1, 7 and 8, the entire facility will transform into a beer garden from 4pm to 9pm, when their original beers will be ¥500.

Need a break from all the eating? Head over to the stage area for live music during the day. Headliners and specific event details are yet to be disclosed.

Entry to Niku Fes is free and you can just buy food and drink as you go. All booths accept contactless credit cards and transportation IC cards, but for added convenience, we recommend picking up a meal ticket bundle at the ticket booth or through the official Niku Fes app.

Japan’s biggest Cambodia Festival takes place over the Golden Week holidays at Yoyogi Park Events Square. This two-day celebration of Cambodian culture features traditional dance performances, plus roughly 70 stalls serving authentic Cambodian cuisine such as the refreshing Num banhchok, Angkor beer, handicrafts, and more. The festival takes place from 10am to 7pm on both days.

Entry is free and you just pay for food and drink as you go.

Held all across Germany to celebrate the coming of spring, Frühlingsfest is also a familiar feature on Yokohama's Golden Week calendar. This year's edition features taps serving many types of German beer that you can't find anywhere else in Japan, such as Hofbräu's Maibock lager and Krombacher & Plank's pale lager.

Pair your brews with an extensive selection of food, including sausages, schnitzel, roast beef and diced steak with frites. New this year, the festival will also feature an outdoor barbecue area by the seafront, sponsored by outdoor gear brand Coleman. Enjoy a variety of skewered meats, locally sourced seafood and vegetables in an authentic camp-style setting, complete with a campervan, plus a dedicated grill and table for each slot. Reservations and details regarding the menu will be announced on April 10 at 10am on the official website.

There’s plenty to keep kids entertained, with this year’s edition featuring a bungee trampoline, craft workshops, a petting zoo and a laser tag booth. Meanwhile, adults can look forward to live oom-pah music.

Entry to the event is free and you just pay for food and drink as you go.

Taking over the expansive outdoor lawn within the children’s play area at Meiji Shrine’s Outer Gardens, the Forest Beer Garden distinguishes itself from other boozy events in town with its lush green surrounds and bubbling waterfall.

The popular two-hour all-you-can-eat (¥5,980; ¥4,980 on Apr-Jun weekdays excluding hols) option includes everything from barbecue beef, pork and lamb to veggies, yakisoba noodles, fried garlic rice, sausages and even ice pops. It includes an all-you-can-drink selection of eight kinds of beers including Kirin and Heineken, in addition to whisky, sours, wine and soft drinks.

Continuing from last year, the beer garden is offering a special all-you-can-drink craft beer option for an additional ¥1,500. The selection includes four craft beer options from Spring Valley Brewery, like the Hojun Lager 496 and Jazzberry. Despite being one of the largest beer gardens in Tokyo with a capacity for around 1,000 people, the event can get extremely busy at weekends, so advance bookings are recommended via the website.

There’s nothing better than ice cream for cooling down this spring, and this thirteen-day festival is all about our favourite sweet treat. The Ice Cream Expo is serving up a large variety of the frozen dessert from all over Japan, curated by the Japan Ice Cream Mania Association and its representative Iceman Fukutome.

Beyond its impressive lineup of over 100 ice creams from over 30 brands, you’ll also discover Japan’s latest ice cream trends and have the chance to sample new and unique flavours made exclusively for this occasion. Entry is ¥500, but you can purchase a special Premium Fan ticket (from ¥5,000). With this, you can enter as many times as you want and receive exclusive event merch.

The event takes place daily from 11am to 7.30pm, until 6pm on May 6.

It’s getting warmer, which means beer festival season will soon be in full swing. One of the first to get underway is this event taking place at the foot of Tokyo Tower, guaranteeing great views of the iconic Tokyo landmark while you enjoy a pint.

During the festival, you can try a wide variety of European beers. Expect familiar German stalwarts such as Hofbräu München, Paulaner, and Belgian brews by Hoegaarden.

It’s not just about the beer either, as the festival will also feature plenty of food that pairs well with a cold brew. You’ll find a range of sausages, mussels, prosciutto, pretzels, fries and much more.

Be sure to bring cash, as many of the stalls only accept cash or PayPay.

Popular German craft beer brand Schmatz takes over the Lumine Ikebukuro rooftop with its annual beer garden serving modern German cuisine. The premium all-you-can drink plan features three original craft beers, plus a range of beer cocktails including shandy gaff, cassis beer, mango beer and even a peach weizen. Additionally, there are regular cocktails, highballs, wines and soft drinks to choose from as well. 

The standard barbecue plan with the premium 2-hour all-you-can-drink option will set you back ¥6,500, and includes spare ribs, beef shoulder loin, specialty sausages, chicken, corn and an array of veggies to grill. If you're looking to save, the standard all-you-can-drink lager beer plan at ¥6,000 is worth considering too.

Make a reservation via the official website.