🎆 AugustAomori Fireworks Festival
Tohoku ・ Aomori, Aomori
🎆 August 7 every year (the final day of the Aomori Nebuta Festival)
About 10,000 shells (2026, including 2-shaku shells)Paid seats
Fireworks · Tohoku
Akagawa Fireworks Festival
Tsuruoka, Yamagata🎆 Scheduled for Saturday, August 21, 2027About 12,000 shells (official tourism sites of Tsuruoka City and Yamagata Prefecture)
Overview
Overview
A design fireworks competition held on the Akagawa River riverbed in Tsuruoka, Yamagata, with fireworks companies from all over Japan taking part. It is famous for its wide fireworks set to music, launched across the full width of about 700 m. All seats at the venue are ticketed, so you buy a viewing seat in advance.
The highlights are the National Design Fireworks Competition and the Music Wide Fireworks, launched across about 700 m of the riverbed in time with music. The special seats are said to be the best place to watch the Music Wide Fireworks.
- Venue
- Akagawa River riverbed (between Mikawa Bridge and Haguro Bridge)
- Official website
- https://akagawahanabi.com/
Tickets & tours you can book in advancePR
When
When it’s held
- Typical date
- Usually the third Saturday of August
- Next date
- Scheduled for Saturday, August 21, 2027
- Time
- Launch starts at 19:15 (2026 example)
- Number of shells
- About 12,000 shells (official tourism sites of Tsuruoka City and Yamagata Prefecture)
- In bad weather
- Not cancelled right away in rain. Cancelled if typhoons, lightning or similar make it dangerous to hold. Not postponed (according to official information)
Dates and times change every year. Always check the organizer’s official website for the latest information.
☁ Weather in August →Where to Watch
Where to watch
📍 Viewing seat areas on the Akagawa riverbed
Color-coded viewing seat areas line the riverbed between Mikawa Bridge and Haguro Bridge. Your ticket color determines your entrance and exit
📍 Akagawa Stadium Seats
Bench-seat viewing seats for groups
Paid Seats
Paid viewing seats
All seats at the venue are ticketed, and people without tickets cannot enter the riverbed, including the embankment. Chair seats, 2-person bench seats, picnic-mat seats, reclining seats, Akagawa Stadium Seats and more are sold via e+ and other outlets (general sale started June 15 in 2026)
Example prices: EM1 seat (chair) ¥5,000 per person, EC seat (2-person bench) ¥17,000, Stadium A seat (6 people) ¥24,000 (2026 example, advance price)
Rules
Venue rules
- !Each gate opens at 16:00. All seats are reserved, so please do not arrive before opening
- !Tarps and tents may not be used inside the venue
- !Pets are not allowed inside the venue
- !Tripods may be used at your own seat up to eye level. Not allowed in aisles or at the back of areas
- !Traffic restrictions around the venue. Official parking is for viewing ticket holders only
Tips
Good to know
- ✓Your ticket color determines your entrance and exit, so check in advance
- ✓It takes 15–30 min on foot from the official parking lots to the venue
- ✓Tickets are required for ages 3 and up
Access
Access
- Nearest station
- JR Tsuruoka Station (Uetsu Main Line)About 30 min on footNo special buses from Tsuruoka Station to the venue in 2026
🏨 Hotels nearby fill up quickly on festival days. Book early.
Where to Stay · Agoda
Places to Stay near Akagawa Fireworks FestivalPR
PR8.2アパホテル山形鶴岡駅前
★★★Check rates on Agoda1,628 reviews0.8 km from center
PR8.8ショウナイホテルスイデンテラス
★★★Check rates on Agoda835 reviews1.9 km from center
PR8.2ホテルルートイン鶴岡駅前
★★★Check rates on Agoda698 reviews0.9 km from center- PR8.1
Tokyo Daiichi Hotel Tsuruoka
★★★Check rates on Agoda202 reviews1.0 km from center - PR7.5
Hotel Stayin Sanno Plaza
★★Check rates on Agoda48 reviews1.5 km from center
Prices and availability are shown on Agoda.
Fireworks
Fireworks festivals in Tohoku
🎆 August
🎆 AugustSendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival
Tohoku ・ Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi
🎆 Early August, the night before the Sendai Tanabata Festival (August 6–8) (August 5 (Wed), 2026)
About 16,000 shells (2026, official)Paid seats
🎆 AugustOmagari Fireworks (National Fireworks Competition)
Tohoku ・ Daisen, Akita
🎆 Every year on the last Saturday of August
About 18,000 shells (2026, official)Paid seats
Typical dates, number of shells, paid seats and venues are based on official information from organizers, municipalities and tourism associations. Events can change or be cancelled, so check the official website before you go.
Last checked: 2026-10-09
