Latest Events in Kitakyushu(July Updated)

It is held on August 13 every year. This is one of the most representative fireworks displays in Japan. Against the backdrop of the beautiful night view of the city, a total of 15,000 gorgeous fireworks are launched from Shimonoseki and Moji on both sides of the Kanmon Strait.

The 38th "Wasshoi Million Summer Festival" will be held on September 20 (Saturday) and September 21 (Sunday), and unlike the usual dates, it will be held mainly in Kokura Castle, Katsuyama Park and Kokura Kita Ward. This year's theme is "Change for the Future - Let's create a better future for towns and festivals together!

A traditional event in Tobata Ward with a history of over 200 years. Designated as an important intangible folk cultural property of the country and one of the "three major summer festivals" in Fukuoka Prefecture, it is widely known by the nickname "Lantern Mountain". It was listed as a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017. The summer festival of the three shrines of Tobata Hachimangu Shrine, Sugawara Shrine, and Nakahara Hachimangu Shrine. Lantern Yamakasa removes all the decorations of the flag-shaped Yamakasa, builds a tower about 7 meters high on the platform, and decorates it with 309 lanterns, divided into 12 floors. This form of lantern Yamakasa is the largest in Japan (total height of 8.5 meters), and its scale is breathtaking. Its biggest feature is that the flag-shaped Yamakasa during the day will turn into a pyramid-shaped lantern-shaped Yamakasa at night. In the evening, all 8 flag-shaped Yamakasa simultaneously turn into lantern-shaped Yamakasa, showing a five-stage rise. 8 pyramids of light decorate the summer night sky, and the movement of the lantern-shaped Yamakasa creates a dreamlike and unique beauty.

This is a large-scale summer festival for all ages and generations! While enjoying nostalgic Showa songs, you can also taste stall snacks and food truck delicacies that are only available at temple fairs.

The "Minami Festival" was held as the "Kokura Minami Ward Folk Song Evening" to commemorate the birth of Kokura Minami Ward in 1974, and was renamed "Minami Festival" on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Kokura Minami Ward in 1994. Various events such as the Minami Ward Festival Village and general dances are held. At the finale, about 700 fireworks are launched and large flowers light up the night sky of Kokura.

WayV will launch the second tour in 2025, the 2025 WayV Concert Tour [NO Way OUT], and will perform in many cities in Japan. This tour will bring fans a new stage design and wonderful performances, showing their unique music style and dance skills. The concert in Japan will be an important stop on this tour, and is expected to be held in major cities such as Osaka and Nagoya.

Kitakyushu City has one of the largest bamboo forests in Japan. The "Uma Takeba" harvested locally is a high-quality bamboo shoot that is also used in restaurants in Kyoto. On the other hand, the problem of bamboo forests causing destruction in mountainous areas is also becoming more and more serious. In 2019, as a countermeasure, bamboo lanterns were made from the felled bamboo, and this was the beginning of the "Kokura Castle Bamboo Lanterns". The 30,000 bamboo lanterns around the Kokura Castle Keep Square create a majestic and dreamy scene. During the period, the Kokura Castle Chrysanthemum Festival will also be held at the same time.

This summer festival brings together various traditional events of Wakamatsu, such as the local performing art "Gohei Tairin" where the sound of barrel drums echoes throughout the city, and the "Fire Festival" where people climb Mt. Takata with torches.

This festival is held in early November and represents autumn in Kitakyushu. The event started to commemorate the start of construction of the Yawata Steel Works, and various events have been planned as a civic festival since 1985 (Showa 60). More than 600,000 people come here every year. About 300 stalls are lined up around the Otani Stadium, and a "25-hour relay race", Odori races, and character performances are held one after another. The finale is a fireworks display.

Please show your "Reserved Name+Reserved Phone Number+Trip Order Page(not a screenshot)" to pick up your ticket(s). Ticket pick-up address: West Japan General Exhibition Center AnnexMain Entrance Gate. Ticket pick-up time: On the day of the show.16:00-19:00(JST)on 7thJune；14:00-17:00(JST)on 8thJune(JST). Latecomers will not be able to pick up ticket(s) and enter the venue. The Korean pop girl group LE SSERAFIM has announced their new world tour2025 LE SSERAFIM TOUR 'EASY CRAZY HOT'! This tour serves as the grand finale of their mini-album trilogy, which includesEASY(released in February 2024),CRAZY(August 2024), and the upcomingHOT(March 14, 2025). The trilogy highlights the group’s evolution and musical diversity, making the tour exceptionally special. LE SSERAFIM aims to spread joy and encourage fans to live in the moment through this tour, promising an unforgettable and thrilling experience. The highly anticipated"EASY CRAZY HOT"Fukuoka concert will take place at West Japan General Exhibition Center, New Building, from June 7 to 8, 2025.

The Rose Festival aims to be the most beautiful rose festival in Japan. About 510 varieties and 3,100 roses will bloom, creating a spectacular sight with the most roses in the year. [Major events] ・Food Truck Food Festival (May 10th and 11th) ・Night Rose Garden (May 16th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th and 25th) ・Flower and Plant Workshop (May 17th, 18th, 23rd and 24th) ・Stage performance by comedian Yoshio Kojima (May 31st) ・Melted Cheese Festival (June 7th and 8th)

An exhibition will be held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Watase Seizo, an artist associated with Kitakyushu and honorary director of the Manga Museum. Since his debut in 1974, Watase has continued to draw colorful worlds. The exhibition will feature all 24 of his recently completed “Tokyo Koyomi” and “Kyo Koyomi,” which depict long-distance romances set in Tokyo and Kyoto, as well as “Heart Cocktail” and rare manga manuscripts and materials from his pre “Heart Cocktail” nonsense manga days. Please come and see the trajectory of Watase Seizo.

Yamada Ryokuchi will extend its opening hours to coincide with the firefly viewing season and will host the 2025 Yamada Firefly Festival. The nine-day "Special Guided Firefly Discovery Tour" will be held throughout, and advance registration is required. You can listen to the guide's explanation while observing the Genji and Heike fireflies that inhabit Yamada Ryokuchi.

The Wakamatsu Hydrangea Festival aims to promote the charm of Takatoyama City, which has the largest number of hydrangeas in the prefecture (approximately 74,700 plants), to both the city and beyond, and to inject vitality into Wakamatsu City. (The event began in 1999, and this year marks the 27th anniversary.) Takatoyama’s mountain hydrangeas bloom from late May to early June each year, and its western hydrangeas bloom in mid-June. This year’s Hydrangea Festival will have a branch venue event on June 1 (Sunday) when the mountain hydrangeas are in bloom, and a main venue event on June 8 (Sunday) and June 15 (Sunday) when the western hydrangeas are in bloom.

The Gion Festival, held by the clan members of Kasuga Shrine, Okada Shrine, and Ichinomiya Shrine, has a history of more than 400 years. Gorgeous puppets decorated with yamakasa run in the Kurosaki area. The scene of bravely carrying the yamakasa to the sound of taiko and conch shells in the Gion music is called "Battle of the Yamakasa", and the "Rotation Exercise" where the floats decorated with electric decorations are pulled vigorously is even more breathtaking.