llumination for the 130th Anniversary of Heian-jingu Shrine’s Founding
19 Dec 2025 – 18 Jan 2026
Special Openings Venue: Heian-jingu Shrine
Things to Do
Festivals & Events
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
Special Openings 
Yuzen-Dyeing Experience and Workshop Tour
04 Nov 2025 – 31 Mar 2026
Tours & Experiences Venue: Okayama Kogei Head Office
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
Hozugawa River Cruise
05 Jan 2025 – 09 Mar 2026
Tours & Experiences Venue: Hozugawa River
Tenjin Market
25 Nov 2024 – 31 Dec 2025
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
Kobo Market
21 Dec 2024 – 31 Dec 2025
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: To-ji Temple
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Sagano Romantic Train
01 Mar - 29 Dec 2025
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: Torokko Saga Station
See the Winter Illumination From the Sagano Scenic Railway
12 Oct - 29 Dec 2025
Special Openings Venue: Between Torokko Arashiyama Station and Torokko Kameoka Station.
Re: Kyoto Expo 2025 Festival Market
26 Apr - 31 Dec 2025
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: Okazaki Park, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City
Tenjin Market
25 Nov 2024 - 31 Dec 2025
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
Kobo Market
21 Dec 2024 - 31 Dec 2025
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: To-ji Temple
Heian Rakuichi Handicraft Market
13 Dec 2024 - 31 Dec 2025
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: Okazaki Park, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City
![Kamigamo Handicraft Market (Kamigamo Shrine) [2025]](https://ja.kyoto.travel/resource/event/9217-1.jpg)
Kamigamo Handicraft Market (Kamigamo Shrine) [2025]
24 Nov 2024 - 31 Dec 2025
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: Along the "Nara no Ogawa" stream in the grounds of Kamigamo Shrine
Otosan Handicraft Market
01 Dec 2024 - 31 Dec 2025
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: Higashi Hongan-ji Temple's Public Green Space
Main Events
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
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
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
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 Information
No matter what time of year you visit, special experiences await.
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