Kawagoe Festival (Kawagoe Matsuri) 2026 Confirmed

川越まつり — Kawagoe, Saitama (Kanto)

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The Kawagoe Festival fills the old warehouse town of Kawagoe, about 30 minutes from central Tokyo, with towering two-tier festival floats topped by doll figures. The floats are pulled through the streets with musicians playing on board, and when two meet they turn to face each other for a musical face-off (hikkawase) — the festival's highlight, especially after dark. In 2026 it runs October 17–18.

Background

The festival grew out of the annual festival of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. Its procession began in 1648, when the lord of Kawagoe Castle donated a portable shrine, lion heads and drums to the shrine. The floats are an Edo-style design developed in Kawagoe, and the float event is one of the UNESCO-listed Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals.

Getting there

Kawagoe is served by the Tobu Tojo Line (Kawagoe and Kawagoeshi stations, from Ikebukuro), the Seibu Shinjuku Line (Hon-Kawagoe Station, from Seibu-Shinjuku) and JR Kawagoe Station. The float streets are a short walk from Hon-Kawagoe.

Tips

• The festival is held every year on the third Sunday of October and the Saturday before it.
• The float face-offs are at their best in the evening, when the floats are lit by lanterns.
• The official site publishes an English pamphlet with the float routes and schedule.
• If you can't make the dates, the Kawagoe Festival Museum displays real floats all year round.

Last verified against the official source: Sat, September 26, 2026