murmurAyabe Minazuki Festival
Ayabe City · Banks of the Yura River (around Ayabe Bridge)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Ayabe Minazuki Festival Committee (Ayabe Chamber of Commerce and Industry) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sat, Jul 25, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late July
- How the date is set
- Announced each year Held every July on a date announced by the organizing committee
- Venue
- Banks of the Yura River (around Ayabe Bridge)
- City
- Ayabe City, Kyoto
About
Ayabe's biggest summer festival fills the Yura River with fireworks and floating lanterns. The lantern float is said to have begun near the end of the Meiji era, when residents of the riverside Narabimatsu area set lanterns on the water to honor their ancestors. Today local volunteers launch colorful washi-paper lanterns from boats, and they drift slowly past while fireworks burst close overhead. From the afternoon into the evening you can also watch Ayabe Yosakoi, a dance created in 2000 that blends Kochi's energetic yosakoi style with the music and moves of the 350-year-old Ayabe Odori. The festival is organized by a committee based at the Ayabe Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2026, parking was paid and by advance reservation only.
Sources
- OfficialAyabe Minazuki Festival Committee (Ayabe Chamber of Commerce and Industry) ayabeminatsuki.org
- Reference万灯流し｜あやべ水無月まつり ayabeminatsuki.org
- Referenceあやべ良さ来い｜あやべ水無月まつり ayabeminatsuki.org
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.