murmurMorioka Sansa Odori Festival
Morioka City · Chuo-dori Avenue (from the Iwate Prefectural Public Hall to Eigakan-dori) and other venues
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Morioka Sansa Odori Organizing Committee · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Aug 1–4, 2026 （Ended） Chuo-dori venue 18:00–21:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early August
- How the date is set
- Every year, August 1 – August 4 Held in light rain; any cancellation of the parade is announced on the official blog and X by 17:00 on the day
- Venue
- Chuo-dori Avenue (from the Iwate Prefectural Public Hall to Eigakan-dori) and other venues
- City
- Morioka City, Iwate
About
Held over four days each summer with Chuo-dori in Morioka as its main venue, this festival began in 1978 and marked its 49th edition in 2026. Its roots lie in the legend of Mitsuishi Shrine: when the shrine's deity captured a troublesome demon, the relieved villagers danced around the shrine's great rocks chanting “sansa, sansa.” Each evening a signal flare launches the parade, led by the Miss Sansa dancers and drummers and followed by groups from workplaces, schools and neighbourhoods, plus traditional sansa troupes, all with drums, flutes and song. Afterwards anyone can join the circle dances that form around the venue, with helpers on hand to teach beginners. The final night closes with a drums-only grand parade, celebrating a world record for simultaneous taiko drumming, and a giant circle dance.
Sources
- OfficialMorioka Sansa Odori Organizing Committee sansaodori.jp
- OfficialMorioka Sansa Odori Organizing Committee sansaodori.jp
- Reference8/1(土)「盛岡さんさ踊りパレード」予定通り開催！！ | 盛岡観光情報 www.odette.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.