A summer festival in Abashiri, with dances around a bonfire and northern dances echoing
Orochon Fire Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Late July (past event timing) / Once held every year
- Area
- Hokkaido・Abashiri City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 30 min–2 h · flight time only)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.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This festival, inspired by northern peoples’ cultures, has brought color to Abashiri’s summers with dances around a bonfire and the sound of drums.
About Orochon Fire Festival
The Orochon Fire Festival is a fire festival inspired by the cultures of northern peoples, held in Abashiri, Hokkaido.
Praying for the repose of those who came before and for the fertility of the land, dancers in traditional costumes dance around a bonfire to the beat of drums and korohoru.
Set against the backdrop of Abashiri’s history and its ties to the northern regions, it has been cherished as a summer tourism event.
Source: オロチョンの火祭り - Wikipedia / 周辺観光｜【公式サイト】網走セントラルホテル
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the sight of dancers in traditional costumes performing around a blazing bonfire.
Dancers move to the beat of drums and korohoru, holding korohoru or irurao.
The dances around the flames and costumes inspired by northern peoples came together to create an event that symbolized summer nights in Abashiri.
A summer festival in Abashiri, with dances around a bonfire and northern dances echoing
What to expect
The festival features a ceremony praying for the repose of the dead and for abundance, followed by dances around a bonfire.
The dancers wear costumes inspired by northern peoples and move to the beat of drums and korohoru, holding korohoru or irurao.
Visitors enjoy the festival by watching the music and dances unfold around the fire.
Location and access
- Address
Abashiri City
Host municipality 北海道網走市
This map shows the surrounding area, not the exact venue location.
Dates and season
It was previously held as a summer tourism event in late July, but as far as we can confirm, the last event was in 2023.
Please check the latest information from the Abashiri City Tourism Association and other sources for the 2026 dates and whether the event will be held.
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 Hokkaido / Abashiri City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Around the roadside station “Ryuhyo-kaido Abashiri,” which has been introduced as the festival venue, are facilities where visitors can learn about Abashiri’s history and the cultures of the northern regions.
The Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples exhibits the clothing, food, housing, and cultures of peoples of the northern regions, as well as Okhotsk culture.
The Moyoro Shell Mound Museum presents findings from excavations of settlement remains and burial areas, along with artifacts unearthed there.
北海道立北方民族博物館
北海道網走市にある博物館
写真：663highland / CC BY 2.5(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
網走市立美術館
北海道網走市にある美術館
写真：663highland / CC BY 2.5(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
網走市立郷土博物館
北海道網走市にある郷土博物館
写真：663highland / CC BY 2.5(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·Origins and History of Orochon Fire Festival
The festival is said to have originated from a postwar initiative in Abashiri to create an event that would attract tourists, and to have begun in 1959.
It was held alongside the Moyoro Festival with the cooperation of Uilta, Nivkh, and Sakhalin Ainu people who had moved to Abashiri City, and was later incorporated into the city’s summer festival.
At the same time, the rituals and dances were criticized for differing from tradition, sparking debate over the representation of northern Indigenous cultures.
Official information
The Abashiri Tourism Association is listed as the contact for inquiries about the event.
The official Abashiri City tourism website, “Oishii Machi Abashiri,” features travel information and nearby attractions.
Please check the latest official announcements for the 2026 event date and status.
Orochon Fire Festival at a Glance
The Orochon Fire Festival is a fire festival that has continued in Abashiri, drawing on the cultures of northern peoples as its inspiration.
It is known for dances in traditional costumes around a bonfire and the sounds of drums and korohoru, and was imbued with prayers for the repose of the dead and for abundance.
Details of the 2026 event are currently being confirmed; past events are said to have been held through 2023.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
Submit information or a correction Submit photos of this festival
