Chikugogawa Fireworks Festival 2026 Cancelled Flagship event

筑後川花火大会 — Kurume, Fukuoka (Kyushu)

The Chikugogawa Fireworks Festival in Kurume is western Japan's oldest and one of its largest: roughly 15,000 shells over the Chikugo River, watched from six separate riverside viewing grounds — a 370-year-old shrine rite that grew into a Kyushu summer institution on the fixed date of August 5.

Background

It began in 1650 as the dedication fireworks for the founding of Suitengu Shrine, the head shrine of water deities in Japan — 375 years of continuous tradition, making it arguably the oldest large fireworks festival in western Japan.

Getting there

The main venues line the river near the shrine, 10–15 minutes on foot from JR Kurume Station (Kyushu Shinkansen, 17 minutes from Hakata). Nishitetsu Kurume Station serves the eastern viewing grounds.

Tips

• Six official viewing areas spread the crowd — the Kyomachi and Sasayama grounds nearest JR Kurume are most convenient, while the far banks are roomier.
• August 5 is fixed; a same-evening return to Fukuoka is easy on the Shinkansen, so no need to lodge in Kurume.
• Visit Suitengu Shrine itself beside the launch site — the festival is its offering, a fact most visitors miss.
• Kurume is Kyushu's ramen heartland: tonkotsu before the show is mandatory.

Last verified against the official source: Sat, August 1, 2026