List of Local Festivals Nationwide [2026]

The Asahikawa Bluegrass Festival is a bluegrass celebration held every September in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. The venue is the Shimada Music Hall in Etanbetsu, Asahikawa City—its exterior looks like a red-roofed cowshed, but inside it’s a beautiful concert hall. Because it’s held indoors, performances can proceed smoothly even in rainy years, offering peace of mind. In 2026, the festival will take place over two days, September 12 and 13, marking the 10th edition following the 9th held the previous year.

SANNOHE SOUNDS SHOWER is a music event held every year on May 4 at the event stage and plaza of Sannohe Castle Ruins Shiroyama Park, a nationally designated historic site in Sannohe, Aomori Prefecture. Launched in 2017 and organized by the local group “Sakura to Suteki na Nakamatachi,” it features around 14 performing bands, along with a green market of handmade artisans, kitchen cars (food trucks), and local shops, offering music, food, and shopping for the whole family. There are also playground facilities around the plaza, making it a comfortable place for visitors with children.

A one-day-only festival held at the Shuji Terayama Memorial Hall in his hometown of Misawa, Aomori, to coincide with Shuji Terayama’s memorial day, “Shuji-ki.” Hosted by Terayama World, the event will unfold across the outdoor multipurpose space and inside the hall, featuring a reading of “Ware ni Gogatsu o” by students of Misawa Municipal Horiguchi Junior High School, the Odradek Roadside Theater by Shoichi Fukushi, a woodworking play area, the Terayama Market, and more. The finale will be a special live performance by actor Hiroshi Mikami. Scheduled for May 2026.

"HOMETOWN MUSIC LIFE" is a music event held every June in Aomori City. In 2026, it will take place over two days, Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, at the Nebuta-no-Ie Wa Rasse West Plaza in Aomori City, with free admission and held rain or shine. The lineup includes Satoru Sakamoto, and d-iZe will serve as the main host. Four acts, including WATAERFALL, who won the official audition, have also earned the right to perform and will join the event’s stage.

This is a comedy-and-music entertainment show held to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Aomori Asahi Broadcasting’s launch. Koji Abe, who has served as the face of Aomori’s Saturday mornings since 2013 as the MC of the program “Happy,” delivers a stage filled with deep affection and gratitude for Aomori’s charms and the warmth of its people, which he has come to know through the show over many years. In 2024, he invested his own funds to purchase a deteriorating hot spring facility and lovingly reopened it as “Happy Hyakuzawa Onsen.” This man full of love now proudly brings an entertainment show to the people of Aomori, scheduled for June 2026.