Joso Kinugawa Fireworks Festival Finished Flagship event

常総きぬ川花火大会 — Joso, Ibaraki (Kanto)

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Date
Sat, September 12, 2026 (The 2026 edition has concluded — 2027 dates are not yet announced)
Time
6:35 PM – 7:50 PM
Venue
Kinugawa River, Hashimoto Sports Park (鬼怒川河畔(橋本運動公園))
Scale
~22,000 fireworks · ~130K visitors
Tickets
Free viewing areas open at 2:00pm. Paid sponsor seats (general prices): unreserved riverbank seat ¥2,500 east bank / ¥2,000 west bank; single chair seat ¥6,000 / ¥5,000; pair seat ¥14,000 / ¥10,000; five-person box ¥20,000 / ¥15,000. Sold through Seven-Eleven and FamilyMart ticket terminals and CN Playguide until 7:00pm on the day; only unreserved seats are sold at the venue. Car parks are pre-paid and ticket-holders only — there is no free parking.
Bad weather
Postponed in severe weather, with the new date announced afterwards. The decision is made at 7:00am on the day and posted on the official site by 8:00am.
Official site
joso-hanabi.jp
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The Joso Kinugawa Fireworks Festival is a connoisseur's event: a lineup of Japan's most decorated pyrotechnic houses each presenting their signature work over the Kinugawa River, including collaborative programs you won't see anywhere else. Around 22,000 shells for a crowd a fraction the size of the Tokyo giants — arguably the best shells-per-spectator ratio in Kanto.

Planning for 2027

The 2026 edition of Joso Kinugawa Fireworks Festival was held on Sat, Sep 12. It is usually held on a Saturday in mid-September in recent years, so that is the part of the calendar to keep free for 2027. The organiser sets each year's date itself, so treat that as a planning window and confirm it before you book anything fixed.

The 2027 date has not been published yet. This page is re-checked against the official source and updated as soon as it appears, so it is worth a look again before you book anything non-refundable.

Background

The festival positions itself as a 'dream stage' where master craftsmen — including Prime Minister's Prize winners — are invited to perform side by side, which is why fireworks fans rank it far above its city's size.

Getting there

The venue is the Kinugawa riverside at Hashimoto Sports Park in Joso City: about 15 minutes on foot from Mitsukaido Station (Kanto Railway Joso Line), reached from Akihabara in about an hour via the Tsukuba Express with a transfer at Moriya.

Tips

Frequently asked questions

How crowded does Joso Kinugawa Fireworks Festival get?
About 130,000 people come to Joso, Ibaraki for it. Free viewing areas open at 2:00pm and the best spots go early. Fireworks start at 6:35 PM, so plan to be in place well before that. Trains and roads out of the venue are at their worst in the 30 minutes after the finale — waiting it out is usually faster than joining the crush.

Last verified against the official source: Sat, September 12, 2026

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