Sakata Fireworks Show 2026 Confirmed

酒田の花火 — Sakata, Yamagata (Tohoku)

Sakata's fireworks show on the Mogami River is known for width: twin two-shaku (60cm) shells bursting simultaneously and starmines spread across a launch front of over a kilometer, so the sky fills from edge to edge. The event moved from midsummer to September, which means cooler evenings and thinner crowds than the Obon giants.

Background

The show began in 1929 and has been through several formats; in recent years the city moved it to early autumn and rebuilt the program around its signature ultra-wide launches.

Getting there

The venue is Mogamigawa Ryokuchi riverside park; shuttle buses run from JR Sakata Station (Uetsu Line). Sakata is about 5 hours from Tokyo via Shinkansen and limited express, or 30 minutes by bus from Shonai Airport (1-hour flight from Haneda).

Tips

• The September date makes this one of the easiest big fireworks shows to combine with autumn travel in Tohoku — no Obon crowd surcharge on hotels.
• Bring a jacket: riverside Sakata is noticeably chilly after sunset in September.
• Paid seats are reasonably priced and worth it for the full-width view; the twin 2-shaku burst is the moment everyone waits for.
• Check the exact date each year — it has shifted between late August and mid-September.