January Music Festivals [2026]: Winter Fests, Outdoor Live Shows, and a Roundup of New Year Music Events

Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICHane Keisuke
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. After working in a music studio and handling wedding sound, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with a variety of instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in junior high school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on my own musical activities and the experience gained through my work, I produce daily articles, including various song introductions, features on music festivals around the country, and live reports. In music, I enjoy not only rock from Japan and abroad but, lately, a wide range of J-pop as well.

In this article, I’ll be introducing music festivals taking place in January! You might not associate the dead of winter with music festivals, but surprisingly, music events are held across the country.

There may not be many, but there are annual staples as well as new, buzzworthy events you won’t want to miss.

As you read, find the perfect event to kick off your year with your first music festival of the season.

Past events

Kaikyo Fest.Sat 1/17–Sun 1/18, Yamaguchi Prefecture

Schedule	Sat–Sun, Jan 17–18, 2026
place	Kaikyō Messe Shimonoseki Exhibition and Trade Fair, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Website	https://kaikyofest.com/
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HAKODATE WINTER JAZZ FESTIVALSun, Jan 18 — Hokkaido

http://www.hakobura.jp

Schedule	Sunday, January 18, 2026
place	Hokkaido, Hakodate City, Hakodate City Art Hall
Website	https://www.hakobura.jp/events/208

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Dera Rock Festival: Tokyo EditionSun, Jan 18, Tokyo Metropolis

Schedule	Sunday, January 18, 2026
place	Tokyo Metropolis Setagaya City ERA / SHELTER / Flowers Loft / Chikamatsu / WAVER / MOSAiC
Website	https://derarockfes.radcreation.jp/
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earth garden “Winter”Sun 1/18 – Mon 1/19, Tokyo

http://www.earth-garden.jp

Hosted by the web magazine “earth garden,” this event is a community festival themed around an “organic and ecological lifestyle,” featuring not only live performances but also talk sessions, eco- and organic-focused shops, and food and drink booths lining the venue. While earth garden originally functioned as an event production office, it gradually began operating media as well, approaching the management of outdoor festivals as a form of media in itself. This edition is the first of the four annual events and marks the winter installment.

Schedule	Sun–Mon, Jan 18–19, 2026
place	Zelkova-lined avenue at Yoyogi Park, Shibuya City, Tokyo
Website	https://www.earth-garden.jp/event/eg-2024-winter/
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