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 
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
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan’s Cheng Tsung-lung × Daito Manabe
17 Dec 2025
Art / Music / Theater Venue: ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Main Hall
Grand Kabuki Theater Kaomise Performance
01 Dec – 25 Dec 2025
Traditional Events Venue: Minamiza Theatre
Hozugawa River Cruise
05 Jan 2025 – 09 Mar 2026
Tours & Experiences Venue: Hozugawa River
Yuzen-Dyeing Experience and Workshop Tour
04 Nov 2025 – 31 Mar 2026
Tours & Experiences Venue: Okayama Kogei Head Office
Search for Events
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Event Ended
Jōdōe (Buddha’s Enlightenment Day) and Radish-Cooking Ceremony
07 Dec - 08 Dec 2025
Traditional Events Venue: Senbon Shakado (Daihoon-ji Temple)
Illumination & Special Night Viewing of Eikan-do Temple
15 Nov - 10 Dec 2025
Special Openings Venue: Eikan-do Temple
FOuR DANCERS vol.333: Dance Performance Night
10 Dec 2025
Art / Music / Theater Venue: UrBANGUILD
Final Konpira Festival
10 Dec 2025
Traditional Events Venue: Yasui Konpira Shrine
Special Autumn Opening of Shokoku-ji Temple
25 Sep - 14 Dec 2025
Special Openings Venue: Shokoku-ji Temple
World Heritage Site Ninna-ji Temple “Sea of Clouds” Illumination
24 Oct - 14 Dec 2025
Special Openings Venue: Ninna-ji Temple
Autumn Nighttime Special Opening
24 Oct - 14 Dec 2025
Special Openings Venue: Kodai-ji Temple
Illumination and Special Nighttime Opening of To-ji Temple
01 Nov - 14 Dec 2025
Special Openings Venue: To-ji Temple
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.
Read more
Gion Matsuri Festival
July 1-31
One of the three greatest festivals of Japan, when downtown Kyoto is lively with lavishly decorated festival floats.
Read more
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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