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Things to Do

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

Special Exhibition: Raku Successive Generations — Raku Tea Bowls Crossing Time
Mozuyauguro, a black Raku tea bowl made by Chōjirō (c. 1589), the founder of Raku-ware pottery, with box inscription by Bunshuku and Sottakusai.

Special Exhibition: Raku Successive Generations — Raku Tea Bowls Crossing Time

25 Apr – 26 Aug 2026

Art / Music / Theater

Venue: Raku Museum

Official Website See details (Japanese)
Ukiyo-e Super Creator: Utagawa Kuniyoshi Exhibition
"Miyamoto Musashi and the Giant Whale," c. 1848, private collection

Ukiyo-e Super Creator: Utagawa Kuniyoshi Exhibition

18 Jul – 23 Sep 2026

Art / Music / Theater

Venue: Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Main Building (North Wing), 1F

Official Website See details (Japanese)
Masterpieces by the Successive Generations of the Raku Family: A Symphony of Chrysanthemums
Second-generation Jōkei (birth year unknown - 1635): Chrysanthemum-patterned red Raku tea bowl

Masterpieces by the Successive Generations of the Raku Family: A Symphony of Chrysanthemums

01 Sep – 24 Dec 2026

Art / Music / Theater

Venue: Raku Museum

Official Website See details (Japanese)

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Special Exhibition: Raku Successive Generations — Raku Tea Bowls Crossing Time
Mozuyauguro, a black Raku tea bowl made by Chōjirō (c. 1589), the founder of Raku-ware pottery, with box inscription by Bunshuku and Sottakusai.

Special Exhibition: Raku Successive Generations — Raku Tea Bowls Crossing Time

25 Apr - 26 Aug 2026

Art / Music / Theater

Venue: Raku Museum

Official Website See details (Japanese)

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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Aoi Matsuri Festival
Gion Matsuri Festival
Kyoto Gozan Okuribi Bonfires
Jidai Matsuri Festival

Seasonal Events

Scavenger Hunt for Cooling Treats
Heatstroke Prevention Campaign During Summer in Kyoto
Festivals & Events Nature & Outdoors Sustainable Tourism
Kyoto Summer Special Openings 2026
Cultural Sites Festivals & Events
Gion Matsuri Festival Float Procession 2026 Sales Information: Parade Viewing Seats
Festivals & Events
Noryo Yuka / Kawadoko: Summer Riverside Dining
Activities Food & Drink
Gozan Okuribi（bonfires）
Festivals & Events Night Tourism
Riverside Dining in Takao
Areas Food & Drink Nature & Outdoors
Natural Experiences and Delicacies in Keihoku
Areas Cultural Sites Nature & Outdoors
Keihoku in Spring
Areas Cultural Sites Nature & Outdoors
Harvest Seasonal Vegetables in an Illuminated Night Field – BNR Farm
Activities Areas Night Tourism
Gion Matsuri Festival
Festivals & Events
What is Tanabata?
Activities Festivals & Events
Nagoshi no Harae (Summer Purification Rites)
Cultural Sites Festivals & Events
Bringing “Gomi Zero” from Kyoto to Festivals All Around Japan
Festivals & Events Sustainable Tourism

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Seasonal Information

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