How crowded does Kachimai Fireworks Festival get?

Name: Kachimai Fireworks Festival 2026
Start: 2026-08-13T19:20:00+09:00
End: 2026-08-13
Location: Tokachi River embankment, Obihiro

About 200,000 people come to Obihiro, Hokkaido for it. Fireworks start at 7:20 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.

Kachimai Fireworks Festival Finished Flagship event

勝毎花火大会 — Obihiro, Hokkaido (Hokkaido)

Date: Thu, August 13, 2026 (The 2026 edition has concluded — 2027 dates are not yet announced)
Time: 7:20 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue: Tokachi River embankment, Obihiro (十勝川河川敷特設会場(十勝大橋下流))
Scale: ~20,000 fireworks · ~200K visitors
Bad weather: If bad weather, postponed to Aug 14, 2026
Official site: www.kachimai-hanabi.com

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The Kachimai Fireworks Festival in Obihiro is Hokkaido's biggest fireworks production: roughly 20,000 shells over the Tokachi River on the fixed date of August 13, built around theatrical, music-synchronized program blocks and a finale that regularly leaves the crowd silent before it erupts. It is produced by the local Tokachi Mainichi newspaper, which treats it as an annual showcase rather than a small-town display.

Planning for 2027

The 2026 edition of Kachimai Fireworks Festival was held on Thu, Aug 13. It is usually held on August 13, which in 2027 would fall on Fri, Aug 13. The date itself does not usually move, but the organiser still has to confirm it, so treat it as a planning date rather than a booked one.

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

Started by the Tokachi Mainichi Shimbun newspaper company in 1929, the festival grew into a production famous nationwide for pairing large-scale pyrotechnics with music and lighting design.

Getting there

The venue is the Tokachi River embankment south of central Obihiro, about a 30-minute walk from JR Obihiro Station; shuttle and route buses also run from the station area on the day. Obihiro is about 2.5 hours from Sapporo by limited express.

Tips

The whole viewing area is ticketed — buy seats in advance through the official site rather than planning to stand outside.
August 13 is fixed regardless of weekday, with August 14 as the rain date; Obi-Bon week means hotels in Obihiro sell out early, so book lodging as soon as you commit.
The music-synced finale is the signature — stay to the very end.
Bring warm layers; Tokachi evenings can drop surprisingly cold even in August.

Frequently asked questions

How crowded does Kachimai Fireworks Festival get?: About 200,000 people come to Obihiro, Hokkaido for it. Fireworks start at 7:20 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: Sun, August 2, 2026