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

Animelo Summer Live, commonly known as Anisama, is a summer festival where anime song artists gather in one place. Anisama draws as many as 80,000 attendees each year, making it one of the largest anisong events in Japan. Many artists take the stage one after another, offering a lineup that promises both surprises and enjoyment.

RUSH BALL is a summer tradition of Osaka’s rock scene that has been held since 1999. The venue, Izumiotsu Phoenix, faces the sea, where you can feel the ocean breeze, and its sprawling lawns make for an incredibly comfortable festival experience. The lineup never disappoints—expect everything from staple festival veterans to promising young newcomers!

Augusta Camp offers two main highlights: special sessions featuring artists from Office Augusta and unique collaborations based on fan requests. It’s a festival to look forward to, with a stage crafted by a united lineup of highly skilled artists!

TREASURE05X is held every summer. Speaking of summer, it’s all about the beach—and festivals! Since Laguna Beach hosts a seaside summer festival, it’s the perfect event to soak up the season to the fullest. With the crowd’s energy, you’ll forget the heat as you lose yourself in the music, and enjoying the local food and drinks is another highlight. The lineup is packed with hot artists, especially from the Japanese rock scene, making it tough to choose which date to attend. If possible, you’ll want to go to all of them.

A wide variety of artists will perform live at nearly 40 venues set up throughout downtown Sendai. Just like choosing your favorite dishes in a bustling cafeteria where people gather, the event is held with the hope that you’ll discover and savor your very own music from the wealth of sounds from around the world spilling across the city. That’s the true charm of a jazz street.

The Gunma Rock Festival, which was held for three years starting in 2011, has been reborn as “Yamabito Ongakusai.” The central driving force behind the event is G-FREAK FACTORY, and the title “Yamabito” (mountain folk) was chosen to evoke Gunma Prefecture’s mountains: Mt. Akagi, Mt. Haruna, and Mt. Myogi.