Dashi and hayashi enliven the kurazukuri streetscape at Kawagoe’s autumn festival
Kawagoe Festival
The 2026 edition of Kawagoe Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/10/17 〜 2026/10/18Ended
- Season / frequency
- The 3rd Saturday and Sunday of October each year / Every year
- Location
- Central Kawagoe
- Area
- Saitama Prefecture・Kawagoe City(From Tokyo: approx. 30 min–1 h · train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Official website / social media
- Official website
- Last updated
- 2026/10/21
carrying finely crafted puppets and traditional make their way through central Kawagoe, set against its kurazukuri streetscape.
About Kawagoe Festival
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: At by At File:Kawagoe Festival Museum 2013-09E.JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: At by At File:Kawagoe Festival Museum 2013-09D.JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: At by At File:Kawagoe Festival Museum 2013-09A.JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.The Kawagoe Festival is an urban festival rooted in the grand annual festival of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.
Dashi adorned with puppets make their way through the city, centered around the kurazukuri streetscape.
While carrying on the style of Edo’s Tenka Matsuri festivals, Kawagoe has developed its own distinctive dashi and hayashi.
It is designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and is also inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Source: 川越まつりの概要・歴史
Festival highlights
The biggest highlight is hik-ka-wase, which takes place when multiple dashi meet.
The dashi face one another, and a musical exchange begins, featuring flutes, drums, bells, and dancing.
At night, lanterns are raised, and the cheers of the pullers blend with the hayashi, building the festival’s excitement.
The combination of dashi carrying finely crafted puppets and the historic kurazukuri streetscape is also striking.
Dashi and hayashi enliven the kurazukuri streetscape at Kawagoe’s autumn festival
What to expect
The festival includes a visit to Hikawa Shrine and dashi processions through the neighborhoods, followed by a parade through the city.
On the hayashidai platform at the front of each dashi, hayashi groups perform music and dances.
When dashi meet, hik-ka-wase takes place, offering different scenes by day and night.
Festival-related goods may also be sold at the neighborhood meeting places of each festival district.
Source: 民俗 川越のまつり｜川越市 / 川越まつり公式サイト
How to take part
You can enjoy watching the dashi procession and hikkawase from along the streets of central Kawagoe.
The venues are accessible from Kawagoe Station, Hon-Kawagoe Station, and other stations.
Check the official venue guide for the current year for dashi routes and traffic restrictions.
Source: 川越まつり公式・令和8年案内
Location and access
- Venue and address
Central Kawagoe.
The dashi parade through streets lined with traditional storehouses and the various neighborhoods.
- Train and bus
Take the JR Kawagoe Line to Kawagoe Station, the Tobu Tojo Line express to Kawagoe Station, or the Seibu Shinjuku Line limited express to Hon-Kawagoe Station.
Travel times to Kawagoe and Hon-Kawagoe stations vary depending on your departure point.
- Traffic restrictions
October 17, 2026 and the 18th: Traffic restrictions will be in place for the Kawagoe Festival, and Tobu Bus plans to operate detours and suspend some routes within Kawagoe.
Address Central Kawagoe
Dates and season
2026 Event Information (The listed dates have passed)
The 2026 Kawagoe Festival was announced as scheduled for October 17 (Saturday) and the 18th (Sunday).
On the 17th, Yoiyama is scheduled from 6 p.m. to around 7 p.m. On the 18th, a dashi procession in front of City Hall is scheduled.
During the dashi events, the floats parade through streets lined with traditional storehouses and the various neighborhoods. When two floats meet, they perform hik-kawase, a lively exchange between floats.
Source: 「川越市エコチャレンジイベント」を募集しています｜川越市 / Kawagoe Festival
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Saitama Prefecture / Kawagoe City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
Traffic restrictions are scheduled for both October 17 and the 18th in 2026. Tobu Bus services within Kawagoe will also be diverted or partially suspended from the first service to the last.
Visitors are advised to use public transportation.
Large crowds are expected around the venue. When watching the dashi procession or hik-kawase, please follow the instructions of staff and local signage.
Please separate your garbage and help by taking it home with you.
Nearby attractions
The Kawagoe Festival Museum is located among the historic kurazukuri streets.
The museum introduces the Kawagoe Festival through displays of actual dashi used in the festival, historical materials, past festival posters, and live hayashi performances.
You can visit not only on festival days, but also when you would like to learn about the dashi and hayashi at a more relaxed pace.
Please check opening status and performance schedules before your visit.
仙波東照宮
埼玉県川越市にある神社
川越まつり会館
埼玉県川越市にある郷土博物館
川越城
埼玉県川越市にあった城
川越市立美術館
埼玉県川越市にある美術館
氷川神社
埼玉県川越市にある神社
Origins and History of Kawagoe Festival
The Kawagoe Festival originated in 1648, when Matsudaira Izu-no-kami Nobutsuna, lord of the Kawagoe Domain, donated a , lion heads, drums, and other items to Hikawa Shrine and encouraged the festival.
From 1651, processions traveled through the shrine parish area, accompanied by townspeople.
Influenced by Edo’s Tenka Matsuri festivals and boat transport on the Shingashi River, the dashi procession developed, and in 2005 it was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Official information
The official Kawagoe Festival website provides information on the festival’s overview and history, dashi, hayashi, annual event details, traffic restrictions, and venue arrangements.
Kawagoe City’s official page also introduces the festival dates and the Kawagoe Hikawa Festival’s dashi procession as a cultural property.
Source: 川越まつり公式サイト
Kawagoe Festival at a Glance
The Kawagoe Festival is an autumn urban festival rooted in the rites of Hikawa Shrine, with magnificent dashi and traditional hayashi music parading through the streets of Kawagoe.
A major highlight is hik-ka-wase, when multiple dashi face one another, especially the nighttime performances.
Alongside the kurazukuri streetscape, you can enjoy Kawagoe’s distinctive festival, which carries on Edo-era festival traditions.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/21
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