murmurSaga International Balloon Fiesta
Saga City · Kase River riverbed
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Saga International Balloon Fiesta Organizing Committee · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Oct 30 – Nov 3, 2026 Competition flights from 7:00 and 15:00 (subject to weather)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late October
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Usually late October to early November
- Venue
- Kase River riverbed
- City
- Saga City, Saga
About
Spread across the riverbed of the Kase River in Saga City, this is among the largest international hot-air balloon events in Asia. Pilots aren't racing for speed or height but for accuracy, dropping sandbag markers as near as they can to assigned targets. Early mornings and afternoons, when the air is calm, bring the stunning sight of colorful balloons rising all at once. Shaped balloons in playful forms appear during the day, and at night tethered balloons lit by their burners create the dreamlike La Montgolfier Nocturne. The first event in 1980 had 14 balloons; now more than 100 join in. A temporary JR station opens beside the venue for the event, and weather can force flights to be called off.
Sources
- OfficialSaga International Balloon Fiesta Organizing Committee www.sibf.jp
- OfficialSaga Prefectural Cultural Tourism Federation (Asobo Saga) www.asobo-saga.jp
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.