Music festival in Western Japan held during Golden Week [2026]

This is a citizen-participation outdoor music festival in Kizugawa City, celebrating its 24th edition in 2026. The venue is the East Exit Plaza in front of JR Kamo Station, and groups spanning a wide range of genres will perform, including local junior high and high school brass bands and music circles active in nearby areas. With a concept of promoting interaction with local residents through music and encouraging lifelong learning, it is a beloved spring tradition supported by volunteers across generations who handcraft everything from planning and operations to performances. It will be held on April 29, 2026.

Maintopia Fest is an event where you can enjoy music and gourmet food, held on a special stage set up on the lawn at the tourist facility “Maintopia Besshi” in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture. In addition to a wide variety of stage acts such as dance and live performances, there will be shops offering BBQ, takoyaki, pita sandwiches, and banana juice. The lineup mainly features local acts, including Iyokan Band, Hanami Manabe, and FAKE. The event will take place on April 29, 2026. Admission is a flat 1,000 yen for both advance and same-day tickets, and preschool children enter free.

The Funagoya Rock Fest is a handmade, free live music event born in Chikugo, Fukuoka, planned from the desire to give amateur bands the chance to perform outdoors. The venue is the outdoor stage at the vast Chikugo Wide-Area Park, with a hot spring and the local products hall “Kawa no Eki Funagoya Koibotaru” nearby, as well as a barbecue area and children’s playground equipment—perfect for spending a relaxing day enjoying rock music like a picnic with family and friends. In April 2026, we will celebrate the 8th edition (vol. 8).

This is the third Village Festival, held in the beautiful rural area of Hido, Iga City. It began when the opening dates of three village establishments—“Scoop,” “Fuurinya-shiki Kazekoro,” and “Cafe & Bar ChouChou”—happened to coincide on May 1, and it developed into an event celebrating each shop’s anniversary. With the theme “Enjoy Japan’s original landscapes and create Japan’s future,” the festival offers thanks to the village’s guardian deity, Hachidai Ryuo, and features a diverse program including a lion dance, a wind chime concert, belly dancing, and a performance by the erhu duo Onto. It will be held in May 2026.