Festival · Aomori
Aomori Nebuta Festival
青森ねぶた祭
Every August, Aomori city parades huge lantern floats of warriors and gods through its streets at night, with drummers, flutes and thousands of dancers who jump and shout around them. Anyone can join the dancing.
When
2–7 August every year
- 2027 dates
- 2 – 7 Aug 2027
- Main days
- Sat, 7 Aug 2027
- Cost
- Free; reserved seats about ¥4,000
- Crowds
- Very heavy, especially on the weekend nights
- Time needed
- Evening runs on 2–6 August; daytime run and fireworks on 7 August
- Nearest station
- JR Aomori Station, about 10 minutes' walk
In short
- The floats run at night from 2 to 6 August. On 7 August they run in the daytime, then sail across the bay at night under fireworks.
- You can dance as a haneto with no sign-up: rent or buy the full costume in town and join the dancers around any float.
- The festival goes ahead in rain, so pack a light rain jacket instead of an umbrella.
- Hotels in Aomori fill up early. Many visitors stay in Hirosaki or Hachinohe and come in by train for the evening.
- Missed the festival? The Nebuta Museum Wa-Rasse next to Aomori Station shows real floats all year. Check the Aomori weather before you plan.
What happens when
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 August | Eve festival with smaller nebuta | Aomori city centre |
| 2–3 August | Night run with about 15 children's nebuta and about 15 large floats | 3.1 km loop in the city centre |
| 4–6 August | Night run with about 20 large floats, the busiest nights | 3.1 km loop in the city centre |
| 7 August | Daytime run; sea procession 19:00–20:00 and fireworks 19:15–21:00 | City centre, then Aomori Bay |
What the Nebuta festival is
A nebuta is a giant float made of paper stretched over a wire frame and lit from inside. The big ones show scenes from Japanese and Chinese legend and kabuki, and can be up to about 9 m wide, 7 m deep and 5 m tall, weighing around four tonnes. Teams spend most of the year building them.
Each float is pushed and spun by a crew, led by drummers and flute players, and surrounded by hundreds of haneto dancers chanting "Rassera!". The festival is a nationally designated intangible folk cultural property of Japan.
How to watch it
The route is a loop of about 3.1 km in the city centre, about 10 minutes' walk from JR Aomori Station. Standing along the route is free; reserved seats with a guidebook cost about ¥4,000 and are worth it on the busiest nights of 4–6 August.
On 7 August the best floats of the year sail on boats across Aomori Bay while fireworks go up over the water, a calmer and very photogenic finish.
Joining in as a haneto
Unlike most festivals in Japan, Nebuta invites visitors to take part. Put on the full haneto costume, with its flowered hat, bells and sash, and you can join the dancers around the floats on any night. Shops in town rent and sell the costume.
The dance is a simple hop from foot to foot. Keep to the dancers' area, follow the crowd and drink water: it is a lot of jumping for an evening.
Where it happens
Questions
When is the Aomori Nebuta Festival?
From 2 to 7 August every year, with an eve festival on 1 August. The floats run at night on 2–6 August and in the daytime on 7 August.
Can tourists join the Nebuta dance?
Yes. Anyone wearing the proper haneto costume can join without registering. You can rent or buy the costume in Aomori.
Is the festival cancelled if it rains?
No, it goes ahead in rain.
How do I get to Aomori?
Take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori in about three hours, then a short local train to Aomori Station. The JR Pass covers the trip.
More festivals in August
Plan around it
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.
Facts checked 24 October 2026