murmurKitakami Michinoku Folk Performing Arts Festival
Kitakami City · Hon-dori in front of Kitakami City Hall, Suwa Shrine, the Kitakami River bank and other venues around the city
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kitakami Michinoku Folk Performing Arts Festival (Kitakami Tourism & Convention Association) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Aug 7–9, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early August
- How the date is set
- The 1st Friday of August Three days from the first Friday of August
- Venue
- Hon-dori in front of Kitakami City Hall, Suwa Shrine, the Kitakami River bank and other venues around the city
- City
- Kitakami City, Iwate
About
Kitakami is known as a treasure house of folk performing arts, and for three days from the first Friday of August more than 100 traditional troupes perform all over town. The heart of the festival is Hon-dori in front of City Hall, where some 500 metres of road are split into ten stages so you can watch demon sword dances, deer dances, kagura and more one after another. In the finale, 200 dancers perform the oni kenbai demon dance together by the light of bonfires – fierce, masked and unforgettable. As the grand finale, the banks of the Kitakami River host the torokko-nagashi, a lantern-floating tradition said to go back 370 years, alongside a fireworks show choreographed to music.
Sources
- OfficialKitakami Michinoku Folk Performing Arts Festival (Kitakami Tourism & Convention Association) geinoumatsuri.com
- OfficialKitakami Tourism & Convention Association kitakami-kanko.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.