festival dates

Gion matsuri dates: when does the festival take place in 2026?

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Kyoto’s summer comes alive in July with one of Japan’s most iconic traditional festivals: Gion Matsuri. Running for the entire month, the festival centers on two spectacular float processions—Yamaboko Junko—and a sequence of illuminated nights called Yoiyama. The main parades and ritual processions condense weeks of community craftsmanship, music and ritual into unforgettable moments: on … Read more

Sapporo snow festival dates: when will the 2026 event take place?

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A luminous winter celebration that transforms Sapporo into a sculpted dreamscape will return for eight unforgettable days this February. The Sapporo snow festival is scheduled from Wednesday, February 4 to Wednesday, February 11, 2026, and spreads across three distinct sites that each offer a different flavor of Hokkaido winter tourism. In the city centre the … Read more