Awa Odori

About the festival

Awa Odori is held in Tokushima City every August and is widely considered Japan's largest traditional dance festival, drawing well over a million visitors across its four nights. The dance itself, known for its distinctive shuffling steps and the phrase "the dancers are fools, the watchers are fools, so you might as well dance," has been performed in the city for roughly 400 years.

Thousands of dancers organised into groups called ren move through the streets in choreographed routines, accompanied by shamisen, taiko drums, and the flute. Some ren are made up of local businesses and neighbourhoods, while others are open to visitors who want to join a beginner group and dance rather than watch.

Tokushima's city centre is fully given over to the festival for its duration, with designated viewing areas along the main routes requiring paid tickets for reserved seating, while other stretches of the route can be watched for free. Given the number of visitors, accommodation in Tokushima books up well in advance, and many travellers choose to stay in nearby Takamatsu or Naruto instead.

The 2027 festival is expected to run from 12 to 15 August, following the festival's traditional annual dates.