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

Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu is hosting a dazzling fireworks show on July 1, with 14,000 rockets to be launched during the hour-long event. Now in its fifth year, this music-themed display will revolve around the best hits of Shogo Hamada, a legendary Japanese rock singer and solo star known for his distinct folk-rock sound and signature sunglasses.

Celebrating 50 years since his solo debut, expect to see fireworks exploding in sync to the nostalgic tunes Kanashimi wa Yuki no Youni, Rojiura no Shounen and more. The stadium opens at 5pm, and the main fireworks display will start at 7.30pm.

Tickets for premium seating and premium group seats are selling out fast, so check the website for ticket details.

It's not quite a Japanese summer without fireflies. Come see them at Setagaya's very own Firefly Festival which attracts a respectable 25,000 visitors every year. At the heart of the festival is the spectacle of approximately 3,000 fireflies released in a dome tent at the Setagaya Daikanyashiki parking lot. As dusk falls, watch these curious bugs illuminate the evening with their gentle glow.

Legend tells of the star-crossed lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi who, separated by the Milky Way, are only able to meet once a year on the night known as Tanabata. This festival is synonymous with colourful streamer decorations, wafts of romance, and a ritual in which people write wishes on strips of paper (tanzaku) and tie them to bamboo branches.

Zojoji's version of the celebration features a beautiful candle light-up on Monday and Tuesday from 6pm to 9pm. Hundreds of washi paper lanterns are arranged in the shape of the Milky Way along the staircase that leads up to the temple’s main hall.

Make sure to write down your wish for Tanabata on a colourful strip of paper, which you can get for ¥200 each. The temple priests will conduct a special ceremony at 5.30pm on July 7, where they’ll bless your wishes. 

For this special occasion, Zojoji Temple is selling a beautiful Tanabata-themed omamori lucky charm (¥3,000). If you’d like to get your hands on one, we recommend buying yours in advance via the temple’s online shop, since quantities are limited. When you’re making the purchase, don’t forget to write your name in the column for additional notes, as the priests will read out your name at a special prayer on the night of July 7. The omamori will be shipped after the event (from July 8).

For more information, see the event website.

Asakusa's Kappabashi – the famed mecca for Tokyo chefs and homecooks looking to kit out their kitchens – is festooned with vibrantly coloured streamers and decorations during this annual summer festival. Though it runs from July 3 to 7, the best time to visit the Shitamachi Tanabata Matsuri is over the July 4-5 weekend, when local businesses put out stalls and hold parades and street performances.

The street parade on July 4 will begin at 1.15pm near the Ueno Gakuen Junior and Senior High School, and slowly make its way through Kappabashi Main Street towards Asakusa. Expect to see a parade of local kindergarteners, police and primary school marching bands, plus special appearances by a local Morioka-Sansa traditional dance troupe and the Metropolitan Police's all-female motorcycle brigade.

On Sunday July 5, Kappabashi will be hosting street performances of all sorts throughout the day, ranging from Sado-Okesa dances from Niigata to Awa-Odori dances from Tokushima.

Based on traditional folklore, Tanabata (Star Festival) is celebrated across Japan each summer between July and August, the actual day of which varies according to region. Marking the earliest possible day of Tanabata (July 7), the shopping arcades of Hiratsuka city near Tokyo are adorned with around 100 giant colourful streamers, which are hung from giant ornamental balls called the kusudama.

The Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival is regarded as one of the top three of such events in the Kanto region, drawing almost 2 million visitors over the three days. Aside from the impressive street decorations, you can expect parades, live performances, vendors selling local products and plenty of technicolour-fuelled buzz over the July 3-5 weekend.

Head over to Chiyoda ward’s Kanda Shrine and write your wish on a paper strip (tanzaku) during this annual Tanabata Festival. The shrine is also selling a beautiful Tanabata-themed omamori lucky charm that includes a colourful pink and turquoise tanzaku. This custom celebrates the two star-crossed lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, and it's believed that your wishes will come true during the night of July 7.

The limited-edition matchmaking charm can be purchased at the shrine from mid-June until July 7.

If the many Tokyo summer fireworks displays are a little too crowded and urban for your taste, head on down to the beach in Kamakura for this small-scale but fun and energetic local version. Over the span of 50 minutes, expect to see 2,500 fireworks launched from offshore boats for a spectacular low-altitude showcase of explosions. The colourful explosions are made even more impressive by the reflections off the surface of the water, and unimpeded views are not hard to find.

Get ready to get your groove on this summer at Daibon on Saturday July 18, a modern rendition of the traditional Bon Odori festival held at Hachiman Shrine in Yamatocho. Here, the traditional Bon Odori festivities are fused with a line-up of DJs and contemporary artists, merging the timeless customs with the energetic pulse of new-wave beats.

Watch as the festival comes alive with live DJ sets, which have in the past featured eclectic talents like Chinbantei Goraku Shisho and the invigorating performances of Korean percussionists. Daibon takes the typical Bon Odori experience a step further, creating a fusion of sounds that strikes a chord with revellers of all ages.

The event will be postponed to July 19 in the case of rain.

Tokyo's biggest fireworks display is returning this summer on Saturday July 25. The Sumida River Fireworks Festival is also Japan's oldest fireworks event, dating back to 1733, when it was staged as part of a ceremony to pray for victims of a severe famine the previous year. It turned into an annual event in 1978 and attracts close to a million people every year.

This year, the Sumida River Fireworks Festival starts at 7pm and will run for around 90 minutes, with a staggering 20,000 shells of fireworks. The fireworks are launched from two sites on the Sumida River around Asakusa Station: one between Umaya Bridge and Komagata Bridge and the other between Kototoi Bridge and Sakurabashi Bridge. You can check out the locations on the festival website.

It may not be the biggest of Tokyo's many fireworks events, but Tachikawa's hanabi is certainly one of the more comfortable ones. Held at the spacious Showa Kinen Park, the festival always draws massive crowds, so make sure to arrive early to secure the best viewing spot.

This year’s event on July 25 will see around 5,000 shells of fireworks launched during the hour-long show from 7.15pm. Paid seating with the best views will be sold online on a first-come, first-served basis (2026 reservation details have not been released yet). 

On the day of the fireworks display, the park will open to the public free of charge.

The event is subject to cancellation in severe weather conditions.

Eisa is a dance from Okinawa usually performed to mark the end of the Obon period (an annual Buddhist event to honour one’s ancestors). Like most things Okinawan, it's been enthusiastically embraced by the rest of the country, as demonstrated by this Shinjuku parade.

A total of 23 Eisa dance troupes are expected to take to the streets around Shinjuku Station. Performances during the day (2pm-5pm) will take place near the station's east exit on the pedestrianised Shinjuku Avenue, while evening performances (6pm-8pm) will be held near Yodobashi Camera, Odakyu Halc, Shinjuku Mitsui building and Moa 4th Street.

Expect to see dancers twirling their way through the crowds to the beat of portable taiko drums. This will surely be a boisterous and colourful event to brighten your Saturday. Slap on some sunscreen, grab a handheld fan and get there early: it's guaranteed to be crowded.

Check the event website for event schedules.

Held every year for more than half a century along the Edogawa River, Katsushika's popular fireworks festival, taking place on July 28, is known for the unusually short distance between the launch site and the spectator area. This allows visitors to watch, hear and feel the impact of the around 20,000 fireworks up close.

It also features the spectacular 'Niagara Falls' and 'Digital Star Mine' crackers, both supposedly representing the latest in firework technology. On your way to the river, take a stroll along the picturesque street leading from Taishakuten Temple for a glimpse of what summer in Edo – the former name of Tokyo – might have felt like.