murmurArama Matsuri (Wild Horse Dance Festival)
Imabetsu Town · Around Imabetsu (joint parade near Kaikyo Sazanami Park at Imabetsu fishing port)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Aomori Prefecture Tourism and International Exchange Organization (Amazing AOMORI) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Aug 6–9, 2026 （Ended） Joint parade on August 8
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early August
- How the date is set
- Announced each year
- Venue
- Around Imabetsu (joint parade near Kaikyo Sazanami Park at Imabetsu fishing port)
- City
- Imabetsu Town, Aomori
About
Held in early August in the town of Imabetsu, this festival has a history of about 450 years. Its centerpiece is the Arama dance, an Aomori Prefecture intangible folk cultural property, in which a man dressed as a horse and a woman holding the reins dance as a pair through the town to drums and flutes. Each district, Imabetsu, Okawadai and Futamata, has its own preservation society with distinct costumes, steps and music, so comparing them is part of the fun. Many university students and working people from outside Aomori join in, and some stay involved with the town afterward. On the joint parade day all the groups gather together, bringing hundreds of dancers and musicians, while a special venue hosts stage shows, fireworks, sales of local specialties and street dancing.
Sources
- OfficialAomori Prefecture Tourism and International Exchange Organization (Amazing AOMORI) aomori-tourism.com
Last checked: Oct 10, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
Other events this month
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.