murmurNanao Gion Festival
Nanao City · Otokonushi (Sanno) Shrine and eastern central Nanao
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hot Ishikawa Travel Net (Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League) · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sat, Jul 11, 2026 （Ended） 20:30 to 24:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid July
- How the date is set
- The 2nd Saturday of July
- Venue
- Otokonushi (Sanno) Shrine and eastern central Nanao
- City
- Nanao City, Ishikawa
About
This summer festival belongs to Otokonushi Shrine in central Nanao. Tradition says it began in the Heian period, when belief in Gion as a protection against epidemics was widespread and the deity of Kyoto's Gion shrine was welcomed here for a Gion rite. Because the deity moves to a temporary seaside shrine to cool off, it is also called the Osuzumi Festival. In the evening the hoto (kiriko) lanterns tour the town, then gather at the beach shrine when fireworks give the signal; after a purification they lead the mikoshi back to the shrine in an order drawn by lot. The climax is in the shrine grounds, where crowds of young men carry the lanterns, musicians aboard, racing one another around roaring bonfires. Watch the leaders in red sashes, who keep each team in remarkable order. The district that drew the last place closes the night by singing Nanao Madara, a celebratory song.
Sources
- OfficialHot Ishikawa Travel Net (Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League) www.hot-ishikawa.jp
- OfficialJapan Heritage Noto Kiriko Festivals site (Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League) notokiriko.ishikawa.jp
Last checked: Oct 11, 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.