Sakata Firework Festival
June 1, 2022
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The Sakata Fireworks Festival is an extravagant riverside fireworks display that takes place in Sakata City, Yamagata every summer.
Festivals and Events
Get a front row seat, or the true local experience, through our exclusive festival and event a la carte experiences.
Experience the Yonezawa Uesugi Festival
August 4, 2022
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The Uesugi Festival commemorates the samurai clan who once ruled Yonezawa. The main event is a reenactment of the Battle of Kawanakajima. Join the fight as a member of the Takeda or Uesugi forces in a special one-day tour. Applications for this tour close April 15, 2026.
Hanagasa Festival
January 24, 2023
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The Hanagasa Festival is the largest festival in Yamagata City where thousands of dancers fill the streets. In 2026, join the dance yourself for the first time!
Kurikoma Festival Float Making Experience
October 30, 2025
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This hands-on experience offers the rare opportunity to help construct the floats which are paraded up and down the streets during the summer Kurikoma Festival.
Kurikoma Festival Float Behind the Scenes Tour
October 30, 2025
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Although the floats can usually not be seen until the day of the festival, this year is different. From the end of the festival in July through the float dismantling in November, visitors can view the floats up close. This is a valuable cultural experience in which visitors can view the elaborate structure of the floats and brought to life through the passion of local residents, and hear directly from the local people themselves.
Private Performance: Hayakawa-ryu Suzunome Yatsushika Odori deer dance
October 29, 2025
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Enjoy a private performance of the Yatsu Shika Odori deer dance, a folk performing art from the Kurihara Ichihasama area with a 400-year history, which has been registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Miyagi Prefecture.
Or, Attend Some Other Local Tohoku Festivals
The Tohoku Kizuna Festival
The Tohoku Kizuna Festival, a collaboration event combining the Tohoku region’s 6 most famous summer matsuri into one giant celebration!
The Hassaku Ritual
The annual Hassaku Ritual is a great chance to see around 150 yamabushi training in the holy Dewa Sanzan mountain area.
The Shoreisai Festival
Shoreisai is a religious yamabushi festival which takes place at the top of Mount Haguro in Tsuruoka, Yamagata every New Year’s Eve.
Oishida Festival Matsuri
The small town of Oishida goes all out during their Oishida Matsuri, a summer festival featuring fireworks and exuberant traditional dance.
Akagawa Fireworks Festival
The Akagawa Fireworks Festival of Tsuruoka is counted among the 10 best fireworks festivals in all of Japan.
Ika Tsuri Festival
At the Sakata Ika Tsuri Festival, onlookers cheer on the fishermen of Yamagata as they depart on their first squid fishing trip of the year.
Yaya Festival
Every winter, the young boys of Shonai brave subzero to participate in this intense religious and cultural ritual.
Yamagata Snow Festival
The Yamagata Snow Festival, held in Sagae City, is one of Yamagata Prefecture’s biggest winter events and boasts a great fireworks display.
Sakata Jinku Nagashi Dance Festival
This dance festival is held in downtown Sakata; hundreds of dancers fill the streets and dance to Sakata Jinku, a traditional folk song.
Sakata Festival
Held annually since 1609, the Sakata Matsuri is Sakata City’s biggest event. It boasts parades, performances, and hundreds of street vendors.
The Yamagata Sake and Wine Festival
At the Yamagata Nihonichi Bishuken Fair (lit. “Yamagata: Japan’s Most Delicious Alcohol Fair”), enjoy a wide variety Yamagata-made sakes and wines.
The Tsubame Sanjo Fair in Los Angeles
A special event bringing special crafts and artisans from Niigata Prefecture to Huntington Beach on October 18-19th, 2025
Samurai Armor Dressing Experience at Shiroishi Castle
Step into the world of samurai warriors and feel the spirit of history as you become a Sengoku warlord for a day.
Yamagata Hanagasa Festival Package Tour
This 2 night tour gives you the chance to not only watch, but take part in the Hanagsas festival, of the top three summer festivals in Tohoku. This trip includes two nights at a central Yamagata hotel, a dedicated interpreter, a private dance lesson with a local instructor, costume rental, kimono dressing, hair and make-up, tabi, and zori sandals for the event on the evening of the 5th. Applications close June 15, 2026.