[2026] Must-Know Information on Music Festivals and Outdoor Events in the Koshinetsu and Hokuriku Regions

The Early Spring Song Music Festival is a music event hosted by Azumino City and the Soshunfu Aishokai, held at the Horigane–Hotaka area of the National Alps Azumino Park in Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture. With the concept of letting voices resonate from the place connected to the song “Soshunfu” (Early Spring), and set against the rich nature at the foot of the Northern Alps, the festival features an open-call stage and a free music plaza that welcome performers regardless of professional or amateur status. Cherished as a participatory music festival created together with attendees, it will mark its 22nd edition in May 2026.

Transcendence is an outdoor electronic music festival held in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture, celebrating its fifth edition in 2026. The venue is Chōja no Mori, a forest spread across a plateau in Kitaaiki Village, Minamisaku District, where you can immerse yourself in music while enjoying auto camping and campfires. A total of 12 acts—DJs and sound systems invited from Japan and abroad—will gather for three days defined by the intersection of fresh impulses and mature aesthetics. The festival will take place in May 2026.

The Zenkoji Omotesando Arts and Music Festival is a stage event hosted by Nagano City to promote the creation of a town overflowing with culture and the arts. The venue is Central Square along Omotesando, where cultural and arts groups active mainly in Nagano City will present music, dance, traditional performing arts, and more. It will be held from May 4 to 6, 2026: on the 4th and 6th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on the 5th until 2:30 p.m. Admission is free; canceled in case of rain.

The Oborozukiyo Music Festival is an open-air music festival hosted by the Iiyama Nanohana Festival Executive Committee, held at Nanohana Park in Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture, where the scenery from the song “Oborozukiyo” remains just as it is. In its 25th edition this year, participating groups, including city music organizations, will perform the song “Oborozukiyo” and a free-choice piece on an outdoor stage surrounded by blooming canola flowers and fresh spring greenery. Aiming to nurture mental well-being by immersing oneself in the hometown landscape and enjoying the richness of nature, the festival will be held in May 2026.

“HEART & SOUL” is an outdoor music festival organized by Karas, an artist from Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture. With the concept of “HEART = the listener’s heart, SOUL = the creator’s soul,” it aims to elevate the city of Ueda into a unified culture. The venue is the Ueda Castle Ruins Park Yagurashita Lawn Plaza, a location where you can feel Ueda’s history and nature. Scheduled for May 2026, it will create a space filled with smiles through all-genre music and over 20 vendor booths.