murmurHashiramatsu Fire Festival of Kitayama Village
Kitayama Village · Okutoro Park, Kitayama
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Wakayama Prefecture Tourism Federation · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Tue, Aug 11, 2026 （Ended） Summer festival from about 18:00; Hashiramatsu after sunset, followed by Bon dancing
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid August
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Postponed to the next day if it rains
- Venue
- Okutoro Park, Kitayama
- City
- Kitayama Village, Wakayama
About
Hashiramatsu is Kitayama's Obon send-off for the spirits of the dead, held at Okutoro Park, home of the Michi-no-Eki Okutoro roadside station. The focus is a wooden pole some 20 meters high, crowned with a barley-straw basket stuffed with fireworks. People take turns flinging burning torches upward, and when one drops into the basket, fireworks spray out in every direction from the top, and the successful thrower collects a cash prize. Once the pole is alight, Bon dancing begins: the local preservation society dances steps handed down for generations to songs in Kitayama's own tunes and dialect. Anyone can step into the circle and dance along. The event is run by the Kitayama Village Youth Association.
Sources
- OfficialWakayama Prefecture Tourism Federation www.wakayama-kanko.or.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.