Aomori Nebuta Matsuri

About the festival

Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is one of Tohoku's largest summer festivals, held every August in Aomori City. Its central feature is the nebuta themselves: enormous illuminated floats built from wire frames and washi paper, depicting warriors, mythical creatures, and figures from kabuki theatre, each one lit from within after dark.

Around 20 large nebuta floats are paraded through the city each night, accompanied by haneto dancers in bright costumes who leap and jump to the rhythm of taiko drums and flutes. Visitors are welcome to join the haneto dancing themselves; costumes can be rented locally for anyone who wants to take part rather than watch from the sidelines.

The parade route runs through central Aomori and can get very crowded close to the start time, so arriving early to secure a viewing spot is worth planning for. Paid seating areas are available along parts of the route, while much of it can also be watched for free while standing.

The 2026 festival runs from 2 to 7 August, with the nightly procession beginning at 18:45.