SENDAI Pageant of Starlight 2026 Confirmed

SENDAI光のページェント — Sendai, Miyagi (Tohoku)

Last updated: Sat, October 17, 2026

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Jozenji-dori, the zelkova-lined boulevard in central Sendai, is wrapped in about 480,000 LED lights on 127 trees for a winter display that began in 1986 and gave the "city of trees" (Mori no Miyako) its glow. 2026 is the 41st edition, themed "A New Step".

Background

Started by local volunteers and shopkeepers in 1986, the Pageant of Starlight has run almost every December since, becoming one of the Tohoku region's three major illuminations.

Getting there

Jozenji-dori is a 5-minute walk from Sendai Station via the Aoba-dori exit, or directly served by Kotodai-koen Station on the Sendai Municipal Subway.

Tips

• Lights are on from 18:00 every night. They go off at 21:00 Sunday to Thursday and at 22:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and Dec 24 (a Thursday this year), so check the day before you plan your evening.
• The lit stretch of Jozenji-dori runs from in front of Sendai Mitsukoshi (east) to in front of Jozenji Garden Hills (west). The organizers ask visitors to use public transport, take litter home, avoid smoking while walking, and not fly drones.
• The same zelkova trees are decorated for the summer Tanabata festival, so the boulevard is a year-round festival backdrop for the city.

Maintained by Tetsu Yamamoto · Last verified against the official source: Sat, October 17, 2026