[Held in 2026] Recommended music festivals: A roundup of outdoor festivals and major rock festivals you’ll want to attend at least once

Held since 2009 under the name KESEN ROCK, this event wasn’t started by band members or event promoters, but by ordinary people. It’s described as an event “made entirely by hand without even knowing what a rock festival is,” making it a celebration of true DIY spirit.

Speaking of Fuji Rock, it’s one of Japan’s three major music festivals. It’s a large outdoor rock festival that draws over 100,000 attendees across three days every year. The venue is Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture. You can enjoy a wide range of musical genres across stages of various sizes, and at night there are all-night DJ events—truly a festival where you can immerse yourself in music. Plus, just being at a festival set in the great outdoors is enough to get your heart racing. If you’re a music fan, it’s a festival you should attend at least once.

It’s the world’s largest idol festival! Launched around the time the term “Idol Warring States Period” began to be heard, this festival draws over 1,000 idols and more than 70,000 attendees every year, making it an unmissable event for idol fans.

NUMBER SHOT has been held since 2014 as a successor to HIGHER GROUND, which took place from 2003 at the Uminonakamichi Seaside Park Outdoor Theater in Fukuoka Prefecture. Its hallmark is a relatively wide-ranging lineup, from rock bands and singer-songwriters to reggae groups. It’s one of those essential events in Kyushu’s summer live music scene.

As a new festival organized by Ibaraki Broadcasting, the LuckyFM Green Festival has been held since 2022. Following the relocation of the ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL, the event has adopted the motto “Don’t let the flame of Ibaraki’s festival culture go out,” and has been reimagined with a new concept as a celebration of music, food, and art at its venue, Hitachi Seaside Park. Featuring local ingredients and a wide range of art and music genres, it’s also recommended as a family-friendly event. It’s sure to become one of your favorite summer memories!