murmurNiigata Festival
Niigata City · Furumachi and Bandai Bridge area, central Niigata
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Niigata Prefectural Tourist Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Aug 7–9, 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 Three days in early August; dates change each year
- Venue
- Furumachi and Bandai Bridge area, central Niigata
- City
- Niigata City, Niigata
About
For three days central Niigata is given over to Niigata's signature summer festival. On the first evening, residents and groups in matching yukata dance Niigata Jinku and Sado Okesa over Bandai Bridge and along Masaya-koji, and anyone can join on the spot. Day two is packed: the Sumiyoshi procession in old-style costume, a river crossing in which a royal barge carrying a portable shrine sails over the Shinano escorted by flag-dressed boats, and a citizens' portable shrine making its way from Furumachi-dori to Hakusan Shrine. The last night ends with fireworks from the riverbank. The festival dates from 1955, when 4 older celebrations, the Sumiyoshi festival, a commerce and industry festival, a river-opening festival and a port-opening anniversary, were merged.
Sources
- OfficialNiigata Prefectural Tourist Association niigata-kankou.or.jp
- OfficialNiigata Festival Executive Committee niigata-matsuri.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.