2026 Roundup of Popular Winter Festivals: Music Festivals for the Cold Season

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.

Until now, when people talked about music festivals, the standard was summer festivals held outdoors.

But lately, winter festivals held during the colder months have also become the norm.

Most winter festivals are indoor events held in large halls or exhibition centers, and even in the cold of winter, the venues are filled with excitement.

In this article, we’ll introduce a whole lineup of these hot winter music festivals!

From Christmas events and countdown events to those held right after the New Year, there’s a full schedule.

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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Bukurock! Festival NagoyaSun, Jan 18 — Aichi Prefecture

nafr.noor.jp

Schedule	Sunday, January 18, 2026
place	Diamond Hall, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture / SPESDBOX
Website	https://nafr.noor.jp/bukurock/2025/index.html

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Arafudo MusicSat, Jan 24, Fukushima Prefecture

This event takes a novel approach by combining hot springs and music. It involves renting out a hot spring inn in Fukushima and holding a live concert for 150 people in the grand banquet hall. The audience can enjoy being close to the artists as well as the hot spring ryokan itself—what a wonderful event. After the earthquake, a third of the establishments in the host area, Tsuchiyu Onsen Town, closed down. This event was launched to help bring vibrancy back to the hot spring town.