Mitarashi Foot-Dipping Festival
18 Jul – 30 Jul 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Shimogamo-jinja 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
Traditional Events 
Shoren-in Temple Special Illumination
17 Jul – 23 Aug 2026
Special Openings Venue: Shoren-in Temple (Shoren-in Monzeki)
VIE presents ZEN NIGHT: Sound Art Night Event
29 May – 20 Jul 2026
Special Openings Venue: Tofuku-ji Temple
Bronze Gallery: Ancient Chinese Bronzes
04 Apr – 31 Jul 2026
Art / Music / Theater Venue: Sen-oku Hakukokan Museum
Tanabata Bamboo Decoration Illumination
01 Jul – 15 Aug 2026
Special Openings Venue: Kifune-jinja Shrine
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
Search for Events
6 Results
Onda (Rice Planting) Festival
19 Jul 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Matsunoo Taisha Shrine
Ensho-ji Temple’s Lantern Floating Ceremony
16 Aug 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Hirosawa Pond
Evening Kobo Festival
20 Aug 2026
Traditional Events Venue: The Former Saga Imperial Palace Daikaku-ji Temple
Sento Kuyo Memorial Service
29 Aug - 30 Aug 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple
Cormorant Fishing in Arashiyama
01 Jul - 23 Sep 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Along the Ōi River *There are to boarding areas: northern and southern.
“Go, go go! Team Ōkyo – Maruyama Ōkyo and the Artists he Mentored” Exhibition
25 Apr - 27 Sep 2026
Art / Music / Theater Venue: Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts and Culture
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.
Read moreSeasonal Events
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Seasonal Information
No matter what time of year you visit, special experiences await.
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