A spring festival in Komatsu, filled with gold-leaf floats and Children’s Kabuki
Otabi Festival
The 2026 edition of Otabi Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/05/08 〜 2026/05/10Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every May / Every year
- Location
- Komatsu City central area and other locations
- Area
- Ishikawa Prefecture・Komatsu City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 30 min–3 h · bullet 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.
- Participation / viewing
- Open to public participation / spectators welcome
- Participation fee
- Paid seats for the Parade cost 3,000 yen per seat (souvenir included). There was no fee to participate as a float puller in the hikiyama procession.
- Age restrictions
- Float pullers in the hikiyama procession had to be elementary school age or older. Volunteers helping with float assembly and dismantling had to be junior high school age or older.
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This spring grand festival unfolds in Komatsu’s old town, featuring processions, magnificent hikiyama floats, and Children’s Kabuki. The gathering of hikiyama floats passed down by each neighborhood is another highlight.
About Otabi Festival
The Otabi Festival is a spring grand festival held every May in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, by Ataka Shrine and Motoori Hiyoshi Shrine.
The festival is said to have begun with mikoshi processions to the (temporary shrine) and through the parishioner neighborhoods.
Today, Children’s Kabuki performances on hikiyama floats and hikiyama events through the town are major festival highlights.
This event brings together the festival traditions passed down in Komatsu’s old town and the region’s performing arts and crafts.
Source: お旅まつり【2026年は終了しました】｜イベント｜こまつ観光ナビ - 小松市公式観光情報サイト / 子供歌舞伎に曳山曳揃え！「お旅まつり」を楽しもう｜特集｜こまつ観光ナビ - 小松市公式観光情報サイト
Festival highlights
The main highlight is Children’s Kabuki, performed by children on a hikiyama float stage.
The hikiyama floats, decorated with lacquer and gold leaf, are illuminated. At the Hikiyama Parade, where several floats gather in one place, lively stage performances also take place.
The mikoshi and making their way through parishioner neighborhoods are also characteristic of the festival.
Another attraction is being able to compare the distinct designs of the hikiyama from each neighborhood.
A spring festival in Komatsu, filled with gold-leaf floats and Children’s Kabuki
What to expect
During the festival, Children’s Kabuki is performed on the hikiyama of the neighborhood responsible for that year, while mikoshi and lion dances make their way through parishioner neighborhoods.
In 2026, Teramachi and Yokaichimachi were the performance neighborhoods, each presenting a different program.
For the Hikiyama Parade on the festival’s middle day, the floats from each neighborhood gathered at Saiku-machi Crossing, with Children’s Kabuki performed during the day and evening.
The hikiyama procession also offered recruited participants the opportunity to pull a float.
Source: 令和8年 お旅まつり／小松市ホームページ
How to take part
Visitors can watch Children’s Kabuki and the Hikiyama Parade.
In 2026, participants aged elementary school age or older were recruited to pull floats in the hikiyama procession, with no participation fee.
Volunteers aged junior high school age or older were also recruited to help with hikiyama assembly and dismantling.
Recruitment periods were set for both activities; the information does not invite walk-up participation on the day.
To apply to pull a float in the 2026 hikiyama procession, applicants were asked to prepare the representative’s information and the names and ages of all participants, then apply by email, fax, or the online application form.
The organizing office assigned each participant to a neighborhood responsible for a hikiyama, and coats were loaned to them.
If applications exceeded the number of places available, selection was by application order; recruitment has ended.
Volunteers were also recruited separately to help with assembly and dismantling.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Komatsu City central area and other locations.
The Hikiyama Parade takes place at Saiku-machi Crossing. Performance venues include the area in front of the Komatsu Hikiyama Exchange Center Miyossa.
- Train and bus
It is a 5–10-minute walk from JR Komatsu Station.
- By car
It is about 3.5 km from Komatsu IC on the Hokuriku Expressway.
- Parking
Information lists the Komatsu City Hall parking lot, temporary parking lots, the Budokan parking lot, the Sports Park parking lot, and the General Gymnasium parking lot, among others.
Source: お旅まつり｜小松市｜2026 | ニッポン旅マガジン
Address Komatsu City central area and other locations, Ishikawa Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
The 2026 Otabi Festival was held from May 8 (Fri) through the 10th (Sun).
Hikiyama Children’s Kabuki performances took place during the festival, and the Hikiyama Parade was held at Saiku-machi Crossing on May 9 (Sat).
The parade ran from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., with Children’s Kabuki performances in both daytime and evening programs.
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 Ishikawa Prefecture / Komatsu City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The Hikiyama Parade takes place outdoors at an intersection, so it’s a good idea to dress for the weather.
The 2026 information noted that the Hikiyama Parade could be canceled in severe weather or other circumstances.
Those participating as float pullers in the hikiyama procession were advised to wear comfortable clothing and avoid sandals or shoes with heels.
Please keep your belongings and valuables with you and look after them yourself.
Nearby attractions
The Komatsu Hikiyama Exchange Center Miyossa is located in Yokaichimachi, Komatsu City, as a facility associated with the festival.
Inside, you can see permanent exhibits of hikiyama, as well as displays about the town’s history, features of the hikiyama, and Children’s Kabuki.
During the 2026 Otabi Festival, the area in front of Miyossa was one of the Children’s Kabuki performance venues, and the Hikiyama Eight Floats Celebration Song was also performed.
A facility where you can learn about both the festival and hikiyama culture.
Source: お旅まつり - Wikipedia
加賀 伝統工芸村 ゆのくにの森
石川県小松市粟津温泉にある伝統工芸のテーマパーク
小松市立ポッポ汽車展示館
石川県小松市にある鉄道保存展示施設
小松市立博物館
石川県小松市にある博物館
日本自動車博物館
石川県小松市にある博物館
石川県立航空プラザ
日本の石川県、小松市にある航空博物館
Origins and History of Otabi Festival
The Otabi Festival is said to have begun around 1640, when the mikoshi of Ataka Shrine and Motoori Hiyoshi Shrine processed in front of Komatsu Castle’s gate, to the otabisho (temporary shrine), and through parishioner neighborhoods.
The hikiyama used as a stage for Children’s Kabuki are said to have been built in 1766 modeled on the hikiyama of Omi-Nagahama, then adapted in 1776 into a distinctive Komatsu style based on the Nagahama floats.
Two floats were lost in a major fire during the Showa era, and 8 remain today.
The hikiyama events are designated Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Ishikawa Prefecture, and the existing hikiyama floats are designated cultural properties of Komatsu City.
Official information
The official Komatsu City website provides information about the 2026 Otabi Festival, including dates, venues, Hikiyama Children’s Kabuki performances, the Hikiyama Parade, and participant recruitment.
Otabi Festival at a Glance
The Otabi Festival carries on Komatsu City’s spring grand festival traditions of mikoshi processions, hikiyama events, and Children’s Kabuki.
The Hikiyama Parade, where hikiyama floats decorated with lacquer and gold leaf gather for Children’s Kabuki performances, is one of the festival’s signature highlights.
In 2026, the festival ran from May 8 through the 10th, and the Hikiyama Parade took place at Saiku-machi Crossing on May 9.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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