murmurJoetsu Festival
Joetsu City · Takada and Naoetsu districts
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Niigata Prefectural Tourist Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late July
- How the date is set
- Every year, July 23 – July 29 Takada district first, then Naoetsu district from the twenty-sixth
- Venue
- Takada and Naoetsu districts
- City
- Joetsu City, Niigata
About
Joetsu's summer festival straddles two districts, Takada and Naoetsu, combining the Takada Gion Festival and the Naoetsu Gion Festival, with a single portable shrine traveling between them. Takada hosts the first half: the shrine's send-off ceremony, an eve festival, a big street folk dance, a festival plaza, the Gion portable shrine's procession and return to its shrine, and its journey down the river. In the second half the action shifts to Naoetsu for a large fireworks show and an offering of sacred rice (osenmai). Since each day has different events, check which district your must-see is in. From both Takada and Naoetsu stations, it's about 5 minutes on foot.
Sources
- OfficialNiigata Prefectural Tourist Association niigata-kankou.or.jp
- OfficialJoetsu Tourism and Convention Association joetsukankonavi.jp
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.