Hokkaido’s summer is jam-packed with events! From spectacular fireworks displays that light up the night sky, traditional festivals, sunflower fields, and interactive events for children, we’ve carefully selected 15 noteworthy events to help you fully enjoy the Hokkaido summer. Why not head out and discover some exciting new experiences that are only available this summer?
1
Hokkaido’s most famous fireworks festival. Don’t miss the final scene, when the entire sky turns golden. “73rd Katsumago Fireworks Festival” (Obihiro City)
This fireworks festival, one of the largest in Hokkaido, is Tokachi’s signature fireworks festival. The theme for 2025 is “Impulse Capture.” The festival combines fireworks, music, lighting, and video using cutting-edge computer-controlled technology, and the “Nishiki Kamuro” (crown of gold) at the end is a spectacle worth seeing at least once in your life. Please note that applications for paid viewing seats and free numbered seating, available exclusively to Tokachikan visitors, have already closed.
■Date and time: Wednesday, August 13, 2025, launch from 7:20 PM
*In the event of bad weather, the event will be postponed to Thursday the 14th. If the weather is bad on the 14th as well, the event will be postponed to Saturday the 16th.
■Price: Applications for paid seats and free numbered seats available only to those inside Tokachikan have already closed.
■ Location: Special venue on the Tokachi River riverbank (around Higashi 2-jo Kita 3-chome, Obihiro City)
For details and maps of the 73rd Katsumago Fireworks Festival, please click here.
2
The 61st Susukino Festival (Sapporo City) brings the Susukino area of Sapporo to life with a procession of courtesans and a portable shrine.
For three days, midsummer Susukino is enveloped in excitement. Highlights include the “Oiran Dochu” procession, in which courtesans selected through public entries parade around in gorgeous costumes, and the impressive “Mikoshi Togyo” portable shrine procession. Every night, the entire Susukino area becomes a pedestrian paradise, and food stalls selling yakitori, oden, and other dishes appear, making the nights in Susukino even more lively.
■Dates: Thursday, August 7th to Saturday, August 9th, 2025
・Oiran Dochu: Thursday, August 7th, 8:00 PM
・Mikoshi procession: August 8th (Friday) and 9th (Saturday)
*Please check the official website for detailed event times.
■ Location: Minami 4-jo to Minami 7-jo, Sapporo Station Street (Minami 4-jo Nishi 4 to Minami 7-jo Nishi 4, Chuo Ward, Sapporo)
For more information on the 61st Susukino Festival, click here
3
Highlights include the famous “Squid Dance” and fireworks in collaboration with GLAY’s music at the “Hakodate Port Festival: 166th Anniversary of the Port Opening” (Hakodate City)
This festival is representative of summer in Hakodate. On the first day, colorful fireworks set to music by GLAY and other artists will light up the night sky, signaling the start of the festival in the port town. On the 2nd (Sat) and 3rd (Sun), the citizen participation parade “Wasshoi Hakodate” will be held, with the Port Festival’s famous “Hakodate Squid Dance” and “Hakodate Port Dance” parading through the city. There will also be live street performances, stages, and food stalls. The Hakodate City Tram “Flower Train” is also scheduled to operate during the festival, further adding to the festive atmosphere.
4
Esashi Ubagami Daijingu Shrine Festival (Esashi Town), a representative festival of Hokkaido with a 380-year tradition
This summer festival, held in Esashi Town in southern Hokkaido, boasts a history of around 380 years. 13 gorgeous floats and portable shrines decorated with warrior dolls, Noh puppets, Bunraku puppets, and Kabuki puppets parade through the streets of Esashi. The highlight is the “yadoire” (stay-in) on the final night, when the floats return to the shrine. The excitement of the spectators reaches a fever pitch as the carriers run up the stone steps and repeatedly pass through the torii gates and worship halls. Be sure to experience this traditional festival of Esashi Town, which has been designated an intangible folk cultural asset of Hokkaido.
■Dates and times: Saturday, August 9th, 2025 – Mikoshi Procession Festival from 7:00 PM / Sunday, August 10th – Main Festival, Shitamachi Procession from 11:00 AM / Monday, August 11th – Main Festival, Kamimachi Procession from 10:00 AM
■ Location: Ubagami Daijingu Shrine (98-99 Ubagamicho, Esashicho, Hiyamagun) and other locations in Esashicho
For details and maps of the “Esashi Ubagami Daijingu Festival,” please click here.
5
The spectacular “Kenka Andon” is the only festival in Hokkaido called “Yataka Andon Festival” (Numata Town)
This festival is considered one of Hokkaido’s “three major lantern festivals,” and its highlight is the prefecture’s only “fighting lanterns.” The sight of giant lanterns, each 7 meters high, 12 meters long, and weighing 5 tons, colliding with each other is a spectacular sight. As one of the largest summer festivals in northern Hokkaido, it attracts many tourists every year, combining the beauty and power of the lanterns.
6
On the first day, there will be around 4,000 fireworks. Asahikawa’s representative summer festival, “Asahikawa Summer Festival / 73rd Doshin Summer Fireworks Display” (Asahikawa City)
The opening event, the Doshin Summer Fireworks Festival, will feature approximately 4,000 fireworks, including creative fireworks and star mines, illuminating the night sky. Other highlights include the Dance Parade, featuring approximately 2,000 locals, the impressive Mikoshi Procession, and the Fiery Summer Tanabata Festival, which will mark the festival’s finale. There will also be stages such as Yosakoi Soran Night and Disco Night, as well as the Daisetsu Sanroku Festival, featuring approximately 50 outdoor stalls.
■Dates: Thursday, July 31st to Saturday, August 2nd, 2025
・46th Daisetsu Sanroku Festival: July 31st (Thursday) to August 2nd (Saturday)
・73rd Doshin Summer Fireworks Festival: Thursday, July 31st *In the event of bad weather, the event will be postponed to Friday, August 1st
・Citizen Dance Parade, Yosakoi Soran Night: August 1st (Friday)
・Taisetsu Rengo Mikoshi, Rekka Tanabata Festival, Disco Night: August 2nd (Sat)
*Please check the official website for detailed event times.
■ Location: Ishikari River Asahibashi Riverbank, Sanroku-gai, Shopping Park (various locations in Asahikawa City)
For more information on the Asahikawa Summer Festival and the 73rd Doshin Summer Fireworks Festival, click here.
7
The 78th Obihiro Plain Festival (Obihiro City) will be held the day after the Katsumago Fireworks Festival.
The largest summer festival in the Tokachi region is held the day after the Katsumago Fireworks Festival. Various events are held, including the Obihiro Bon Dance, featuring dancers with a wide variety of personalities, the Yumefuriya, where male and female mikoshi (portable shrines) parade through the venue, and a passionate taiko drumming performance by musical teams from all over Hokkaido. Street performances and gourmet food stalls are also scheduled.
8
2 million sunflowers in full bloom at the 39th Hokuryu Town Sunflower Festival (Hokuryu Town)
This festival represents Hokuryu Town, known as the “Town of Sunflowers,” and the spectacular sight of 2 million sunflowers spread across the vast fields is a sight to behold. There is also a giant sunflower maze and a “Sunflower Train” tractor ride that takes you around the sunflower fields, allowing families and couples to enjoy a special time surrounded by sunflowers. Local gourmet foods and sweets such as sunflower soft serve and sunflower watermelon will also be available.
9
The 78th Kushiro Port Festival, a port festival representing Kushiro, eastern Hokkaido (Kushiro City)
The festival’s three main parades are the “Tairyo Bayashi Parade,” where floats modeled after ships parade through the streets; the “Citizens’ Dance Parade,” where groups from inside and outside the city dance together; and the “Music Parade,” where the sounds of brass bands and other musical groups reverberate throughout the city. Various stalls are set up at the Kushiro Port Earthquake-Resistant Passenger Ship Terminal, and the venue is livened up with live music and dance performances. There are plenty of events to enjoy for both adults and children.
10
Don’t miss the spectacular seaside fireworks that are unique to Tomakomai at the 70th Tomakomai Port Festival (Tomakomai City)
Tomakomai’s signature summer festival is celebrating its 70th anniversary. It offers a wide variety of events for all ages, including the “Citizens’ Dance,” which you can join on the day, a marching festival, and other parades, as well as a beer garden, a festival, and stage shows. On the second night, Hokkaido’s largest fireworks display will be launched by top pyrotechnicians. Other events commemorating the 70th anniversary, such as a market and a boat race and fishing tournament, will also be held at the same time.
11
The 52nd Iwanai Doto Festival (Iwanai Town) is a spectacular display of approximately 5,000 fireworks.
The highlight of the festival is the approximately 5,000 fireworks that will be launched on the first night. There will be brass band performances, dance performances, and live music on the stage, as well as food trucks, gourmet booths, a children’s festival, and a flea market. There will also be plenty of other programs for children to enjoy, such as the “Night Bubble Show,” where soap bubbles fly, an exciting rice cake throwing competition, and a Yu-Gi-Oh event.
■Dates and times: Saturday, August 2, 2025, 12:00-21:30 / Sunday, August 3, 2025, 10:00-20:00
*The fireworks display will begin at 8:00 PM on the 2nd (Saturday) (in the event of bad weather, it will be postponed to the following day, the 3rd (Sunday)).
■ Venue: Iwanai Regional Cultural Center, West Special Venue (51-7 Bandai, Iwanai-cho, Iwanai-gun)
For details and maps of the 52nd Iwanai Doto Festival, click here.
12
Adults and children alike dance for three days and three nights at the 24th Mikasa Hokkai Bon Odori Festival (Mikasa City)
Mikasa’s famous Bon Odori dance is held over three days, with the Children’s Bon Odori, Mikasa Hokkai Bon Odori, and Costume Bon Odori. There are also plenty of other events to enjoy in the summer at Mikasa, such as the exciting Coal Katsugiri Race, stage shows, and fireworks that light up the night sky as seen from behind a stage.
13
This year marks the finale of the 30th Horokanai Town New Soba Festival, a soba festival representing the town of soba (Horokanai Town).
This year marks the final year of the famous “New Soba Festival” in Horokanai Town, which boasts the largest soba cultivation area and production volume in Japan. Famous soba restaurants from not only the town but also from all over the country will gather at the venue, allowing visitors to compare and taste their specialties. There will also be a stone-grinding experience, an exhibition of heavy machinery used in buckwheat fields, and a panel exhibition, making this a two-day event that soba lovers will not want to miss.
14
A day full of experiences and discoveries! Children take center stage at “Children’s Expo in Biratori” (Biratori Town)
This is an event where local children can have fun, with work experiences, working vehicles, a children’s festival, and a variety of workshops. Admission is free and everyone can easily participate, so why not take this opportunity to make your child’s dreams come true?
15
For independent research and making memories during the summer vacation, “Kushiro City Children’s Learning Center 20th Anniversary Summer Vacation Event Thank You Festival” (Kushiro City)
This event is being held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Kushiro Children’s Learning Center, a complex that combines the functions of a science museum and a children’s center. There will be plenty of content for parents and children to enjoy, including workshops, science experiments, talk shows, and special exhibits. It’s recommended for summer vacation independent research projects or outings with children.
*All information is current as of the time of publication in July 2025.
*All published information may be subject to change, so please check the official website for details.
AloJapan.com