A Sendai period festival bringing the city to life with Date history and Suzume Odori
Sendai Aoba Festival
The 2026 edition of Sendai Aoba Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/05/16 〜 2026/05/17Ended
- Season / frequency
- Maythird Sunday and the 2 days including the preceding day / Every year
- Location
- Various locations in central Sendai
- Area
- Miyagi Prefecture・Sendai City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 30 min–2 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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Sendai Aoba Festival is an early-summer festival in Sendai, featuring Suzume Odori, float parades, and processions against the backdrop of history associated with Lord Date Masamune.
About Sendai Aoba Festival
Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: countryroad File:Sendaiaoba070520.jpg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 自ら撮影Display size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: ChampagneFight File:Parade of Sendai Aoba Matsuri.JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 Own work by the contributorDisplay size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.Photo credits and terms of use
Photographer: countryroad File:Suzumeodori070520.JPG / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 自ら撮影Display size only adjusted.May differ from the event currently featured.The Sendai Aoba Festival is a citizens’ festival celebrating the history and culture of Sendai, associated with Lord Date Masamune.
The Yoimatsuri features Sendai Suzume Odori, while the Honmatsuri features the Aoba Shrine mikoshi procession, dashi float parade, and samurai procession.
Set against fresh green zelkova-lined avenues and streets in the city center, memories of the former castle town meet contemporary civic culture.
Since its revival in 1985, it has been celebrated as a festival that brings early summer to life in Sendai.
Source: 仙台・青葉まつりとは｜仙台・青葉まつり
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the historical pageant procession held during the Honmatsuri.
An armored samurai unit accompanying a mounted Lord Masamune, a rifle corps, the Aoba Shrine mikoshi, a children’s procession, Sendai dashi floats, and a large-scale Suzume Odori dance procession make their way through the city center.
At the Yoimatsuri, festival music fills the air and dances are performed along Jozenji-dori and in the covered shopping arcades.
Kiyari work songs, fire brigade ladder performances, matchlock gun demonstrations, and Mori no Ichi also add to the festivities.
A Sendai period festival bringing the city to life with Date history and Suzume Odori
What to expect
The festival centers on the Yoimatsuri on Saturday and the Honmatsuri on Sunday.
At the Yoimatsuri, Sendai Suzume Odori is performed to the sound of lively festival music echoing through the city, while lantern-lit dashi floats add to the festive atmosphere.
At the main festival, you can enjoy a samurai procession, mikoshi procession, dashi float parade, and a large-scale Suzume Odori dance procession, in that order.
Mori no Ichi, where visitors can experience traditional culture and food, is also held near the festival area.
How to take part
Visitors can watch the event.
Location and access
- Venue and address
The festival is held mainly in central Sendai.
- Train and bus
Kotodai-Koen Station on the Sendai City Subway Nanboku Line is listed as the nearest station.
It was announced that some municipal bus routes were scheduled to change on May 16, 2026 (Saturday) and the 17th (Sunday) due to the event.
Source: 仙台・青葉まつり - Wikipedia / 「第４２回 仙台・青葉まつり」に伴う交通規制による市営バスの経路変更等のお知らせ - 仙台市交通局
Event venue 宮城県仙台市 仙台市都心部各地
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
2026 Event Information (The listed dates have passed)
The 2026 event was announced as scheduled to take place over 2 days, on May 16 (Saturday) and the 17th (Sunday).
The festival is structured with the Yoimatsuri on Saturday and the Honmatsuri on Sunday.
In a typical year, it is held over 2 days on Maythe third Sunday and the preceding day, with dances and processions taking place in central Sendai in spring.
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 Miyagi Prefecture / Sendai City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
For 2026, traffic restrictions were scheduled in connection with the festival, and it was announced that some municipal bus routes would be changed.
At Kotodai-Koen Station, access to some exits may be restricted depending on crowd levels.
If you plan to watch the procession or dances on several streets, allow plenty of time to get around and account for the flow of people.
If you use public transportation, please also watch for service changes on the day.
Nearby attractions
二柱神社
宮城県仙台市泉区にある神社
写真：Naokijp / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
仙台うみの杜水族館
仙台市にある水族館
写真：広瀬川 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
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仙台市八木山動物公園
仙台市太白区にある動物園
写真：広瀬川 / Public domain(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
仙台市博物館
宮城県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
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仙台市天文台
宮城県仙台市青葉区にある公開天文台
写真：Kinori / Public domain(resized and reformatted)
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仙台市戦災復興記念館
仙台市にある、仙台空襲からの復興を記念する公共施設
写真：Sendai_City_War_Reconstruction_Memorial_Hall.JPG : 広瀬川 derivative work: 0607crp ( talk ) / Public domain(resized and reformatted)
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仙台市歴史民俗資料館
宮城県仙台市の榴岡公園にある資料館
写真：Kyotohippie / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
仙台市科学館
日本の宮城県仙台市青葉区にある科学館
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
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仙台市野草園
仙台市の植物園
写真：No machine-readable author provided. Kinori assumed (based on copyright claims). / Public domain(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
仙台東照宮
宮城県仙台市青葉区東照宮にある神社
写真：Naokijp / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
地底の森ミュージアム
宮城県仙台市太白区にある歴史博物館
写真：Asenas10 at Japanese Wikipedia / CC BY 3.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
大崎八幡宮
宮城県仙台市にある神社
写真：Tak1701d / CC BY-SA 3.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·Origins and History of Sendai Aoba Festival
The roots of the Sendai Aoba Festival can be traced back to the Sendai Festival, which began in 1655 as the annual festival of Sendai Toshogu Shrine.
During the Meiji period, dashi floats appeared at events such as the Aoba Shrine annual festival and the Shokon Festival. The 250th anniversary festival in 1885, marking 250 years since Lord Masamune’s death, is considered the direct prototype of today’s festival.
After the postwar Aoba Festival, it was revived as a citizens’ festival in 1985.
In 2016, it was designated a Japan Heritage site as one of the cultural assets comprising “Masamune’s ‘Date’ Culture.”
Source: 仙台・青葉まつりのあゆみ｜仙台・青葉まつり
Official information
Official information about the Sendai Aoba Festival is available on the Sendai Aoba Festival Sponsoring Association website.
It includes information about the festival overview, origins, history, Suzume Odori, and dashi floats.
For 2026 transport information, Sendai City Transportation Bureau’s event-related page also provided details such as changes to municipal bus routes.
Sendai Aoba Festival at a Glance
The Sendai Aoba Festival carries on the history of the Sendai Festival and the Aoba Shrine annual festival, expressing the culture of the former castle town through Suzume Odori, mikoshi, dashi floats, and samurai processions.
The 2026 event was announced as scheduled to take place in central Sendai on May 16 and the 17th.
Along with dances and processions, visitors can enjoy kiyari work songs, matchlock gun demonstrations, and Mori no Ichi, but should be aware of traffic restrictions and public transport changes on the day.
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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