murmurGion Matsuri
Kyoto City · Yasaka Shrine and the float districts of central Kyoto
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kyoto City Tourism Association (Kyoto Travel Navi) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 1–31, 2026 （Ended） Float processions: July 17 (Saki Matsuri, departs Shijo-Karasuma at 9:00) and July 24 (Ato Matsuri, departs Karasuma-Oike at 9:30)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually in July
- How the date is set
- Every year, July 1 – July 31 The float processions are held on July 17 (Saki Matsuri) and July 24 (Ato Matsuri)
- Venue
- Yasaka Shrine and the float districts of central Kyoto
- City
- Kyoto City, Kyoto
About
Gion Matsuri is the festival of Yasaka Shrine, and it fills the whole of July with rituals, from the opening ceremony on July 1 to a closing purification rite on July 31. The highlights are the two float processions: the Saki Matsuri on July 17, which sets off from Shijo-Karasuma, and the Ato Matsuri on July 24, which starts at Karasuma-Oike. Watch for the kuji-aratame, where the order of the floats is checked, and the spectacular tsuji-mawashi. On the three evenings before each procession (yoiyama), lanterns light up the float districts, festival music fills the streets, and some old townhouses open their rooms to show off treasured folding screens. Portable shrines are carried through the city on the evening of July 17. The float ceremonies are inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Sources
- OfficialKyoto City Tourism Association (Kyoto Travel Navi) ja.kyoto.travel
- OfficialKyoto City Tourism Association (Kyoto Travel Navi) ja.kyoto.travel
- Reference祇園祭「行ってみよう！」｜京都観光Navi ja.kyoto.travel
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.