murmurHakodate Goryokaku Festival
Hakodate City · Goryokaku Park
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hakodate Goryokaku Festival Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- May 16–17, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid May
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Two days over a weekend in May; dates are set each year
- Venue
- Goryokaku Park
- City
- Hakodate City, Hokkaido
About
Held since 1970, this two-day festival keeps alive the story of Goryokaku, the fort where the last battles of the Boshin War – the civil war that ushered in modern Japan – were fought. It honors the people who built Hakodate and remembers the unnamed soldiers who died here. On the first day, participants visit related monuments, including the one marking where Hijikata Toshizo, vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, fell. Inside the fort grounds, a special stage hosts a Hijikata Toshizo look-alike contest, sword-fight dramas, brass bands and demonstrations of drawing real swords. Day two features a "bloodless entry" march into the fort and a ceremony re-enacting its surrender, and the festival closes with a traditional rice-cake toss.
Sources
- OfficialHakodate Goryokaku Festival Association www.hotweb.or.jp
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.