murmurIida Puppet Festa
Iida City · Around a hundred venues in Iida and neighboring towns (headquarters: Iida Culture Hall)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Iida Puppet Festa Executive Committee · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 30 – Aug 2, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early August
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Early August each year
- Venue
- Around a hundred venues in Iida and neighboring towns (headquarters: Iida Culture Hall)
- City
- Iida City, Nagano
About
In early August, Iida and its neighboring towns turn into a giant stage for Japan's largest puppet theater festival, and anyone can join in. Companies from across Japan and abroad present more than 300 performances at around 100 venues. Besides dedicated spaces like the Iida Puppet Theater, shows pop up in schools, nursery schools and local meeting halls. Everyone involved, whether watching, performing or helping out, buys and wears a participation badge, and those badges keep the festival running. Its motto is about creating a triangle stage of watching, performing and supporting. There are plenty of shows for children, as well as pieces aimed at adults, plus ticketed performances, workshops and a parade. Much of the work is done by volunteers from the city.
Sources
- OfficialIida Puppet Festa Executive Committee www.iida-puppet.com
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.