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Festivals & Events

Festivals & Events
Gion Matsuri Festival

Kyoto holds many cultural, artistic, and nature-related events throughout the year.
See which ones you will have a chance to experience during your upcoming trip.

*Please note that the displayed dates indicate only the start and the end date of an event. There may be days within that period when the event is not held. Please visit the official website linked below each entry for further details and latest information.

Featured Events

New Year’s Feature Exhibition – Pony Tales: Celebrating the Year of the Horse
Important Art Object: Pair of Horse Tomb Figures

New Year’s Feature Exhibition – Pony Tales: Celebrating the Year of the Horse

16 Dec 2025 – 25 Jan 2026

Art / Music / Theater

Venue: Kyoto National Museum, Heisei Chishinkan Wing, Galleries 2F-1, 2, 3

IMAGINE NOH

IMAGINE NOH

12 Nov – 04 Dec 2025

Art / Music / Theater

Venue: The Kyoto Kanze Noh Theatre / The Kongo Noh Theatre

Byodo-in Temple’s Special Night Opening “Radiant Light and Autumn Brilliance”
Image copyright: Byodo-in Temple

Byodo-in Temple’s Special Night Opening “Radiant Light and Autumn Brilliance”

22 Nov – 07 Dec 2025

Special Openings

Venue: Byodo-in Temple

The 100th Anniversary of Mingei: Kyoto’s Legacy of Everyday Life

The 100th Anniversary of Mingei: Kyoto’s Legacy of Everyday Life

13 Sep – 07 Dec 2025

Art / Music / Theater

Venue: Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Main Building (South Wing), 1st floor

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ENTER NOH

ENTER NOH

11 Nov 2025

Art / Music / Theater

Venue: Kyoto Kanze Kaikan Noh Theater

Fushimi Sake Festival in Otesuji Shopping Street

Fushimi Sake Festival in Otesuji Shopping Street

15 Nov 2025

Tours & Experiences

Venue: Fushimi Ote-suji Shopping Street *Please note that the reception location is Nanbu Park.

Special Autumn Evening Opening of Kennin-ji Temple, Kyoto’s Oldest Zen Temple

Special Autumn Evening Opening of Kennin-ji Temple, Kyoto’s Oldest Zen Temple

16 Nov 2025

Tours & Experiences

Venue: Meeting place: Kennin-ji Temple Visitor's Reception (Main Temple)

JS Bach: Complete Solo Violin Sonatas & Partitas Concert (Kyoto Autumn Music Festival)

JS Bach: Complete Solo Violin Sonatas & Partitas Concert (Kyoto Autumn Music Festival)

22 Nov 2025

Art / Music / Theater

Venue: Kyoto Concert Hall Ensemble Hall Murata (small hall)

Main Events

Aoi Matsuri Festival

Aoi Matsuri Festival

May 15

A long-held procession from Kyoto Imperial Palace to two historic shrines, with 500 people in courtly Heian attire.

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Gion Matsuri Festival

Gion Matsuri Festival

July 1-31

One of the three greatest festivals of Japan, when downtown Kyoto is lively with lavishly decorated festival floats.

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Kyoto Gozan Okuribi Bonfires

Kyoto Gozan Okuribi Bonfires

August 16

Five mountains around Kyoto are lit up with bonfires as a send-off for ancestral spirits who visit during Obon.

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Jidai Matsuri Festival

Jidai Matsuri Festival

October 22

This parade of roughly 2,000 participants dressed in period garb representing over 1,000 years of Kyoto’s history.

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Seasonal Events

Jidai Matsuri Festival
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Jidai Matsuri Festival Procession 2025: Paid Viewing Seats Sales Information
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Chrysanthemum Festival – Choyo no Sekku
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Moon Viewing Events – “Kangetsu Kai” in 2025
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“KITANO DAI CHAKAI ~ Kyoto Whole Tea Expo Grand Finale ~” [PR]
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Lake Biwa Canal Cruise
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No matter what time of year you visit, special experiences await.

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