Hanamaki Festival

Festival highlights

Highlights include the ornate furyu dashi moving to the rhythm of Hanamaki Bayashi and a parade bringing together numerous mikoshi.

In Shishi Odori, dancers beat drums suspended from their waists as they perform. Kagura Gongen-mai and Hanamaki Bayashi dance are also presented.

At night, Shishi Odori performances accompanied by bonfires and dashi processions bring a different atmosphere to the festival than during the day.

Source: 【花巻まつり実行委員会からのお知らせ】令和8年度花巻まつりを開催します（9月11日・12日・13日）｜花巻市

3 days of dashi, mikoshi, and local performing arts bringing Hanamaki's streets to life

What to expect

Each day, the festival features a combination of free-running dashi and mikoshi processions, Kagura Gongen-mai, Shishi Odori, a dashi parade, and a mikoshi parade.

On the final day, Hanamaki Bayashi dance and the formal closing handclap ceremony are also held. Traditional performing arts can be enjoyed throughout the festival at various spots around the city.

A yatai village, local specialties fair, and local performing arts festival are also held around the venue during the same period.

Location and access

Venue and address

The festival takes place mainly at Omatsuri Square in Kamimachi and around the Kamimachi Arcade area in Hanamaki City.

The final day's dashi parade travels from Kamimachi to Hanazawa-cho, Futaba-cho, Fubari-cho, Odori 2-chome, and Odori 1-chome, ending at Hanamaki Station.

Bus detours due to traffic restrictions are announced during the festival.

By car

Traffic restrictions are in place on roads around the venue during the festival, so check traffic conditions if traveling by car.

Source: 花巻まつり【岩手県花巻市】 ｜イベントカレンダー｜【花巻観光協会公式サイト】

Address Kamimachi, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture (Omatsuri Square and other locations)

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Dates and season

2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)

According to the 2026 event information, the Hanamaki Festival was held over 3 days, from September 11 (Friday) to September 13 (Sunday).

Each day features dashi and mikoshi processions, along with performances such as Kagura Gongen-mai, Shishi Odori, and Hanamaki Bayashi dance. The program and times vary by day.

It was also announced that times or program details could change if the number of participating groups changed.

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Tips for your visit

For 2026, announcements indicated that some performances would be canceled or moved to another venue in case of rain.

The Kagura Gongen-mai on September 11 was moved indoors to the Shogai Gakuen Toshi Kaikan in case of rain, while the group bonfire Shishi Odori was canceled.

Hanamaki Bayashi dance goes ahead in rainy weather, but is canceled on the day in the event of torrential rain, so it is advisable to check the weather and the day's announcements before visiting.

Nearby attractions

Museums and art museumsHanamaki City

花巻歴史民俗資料館

岩手県花巻市にあった資料館

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写真：663highland / CC BY 2.5(resized and reformatted)

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Attractions in the same municipality. Check each attraction’s official website for travel distances from the venue and current opening information.

Origins and History of Hanamaki Festival

One account traces the origins of the Hanamaki Festival to a Kannon festival held by Kitashinai, regarded as the founder of Hanamaki, who enshrined Kannon and prayed for victory before setting out to battle.

After Kitashinai's death, the festival also took on the meaning of a memorial and was held on the anniversary of his death, earning the name Shosai Festival.

It was temporarily discontinued during the Meiji-era policy of separating Buddhism and Shinto, then revived as a festival of Toriyagasaki Shrine and passed down to the present day.

Official information

Hanamaki City shares information from the Hanamaki Festival Executive Committee on the 2026 schedule, venues, event times, and arrangements in case of rain.

For inquiries, contact the Hanamaki Festival Executive Committee Secretariat (within the Hanamaki City Tourism Division) at 0198-41-3542.

Hanamaki Festival at a Glance

The Hanamaki Festival is one of Hanamaki's signature traditional events, bringing the city streets to life with furyu dashi, mikoshi, Shishi Odori, Kagura Gongen-mai, and Hanamaki Bayashi dance.

In 2026, it was held from September 11 through the 13th, centered around Omatsuri Square in Kamimachi.

In addition to dashi and mikoshi processions, visitors can enjoy different events each day, including nighttime Shishi Odori by bonfire and a yatai village.