Popular Festival Song Rankings [2026]
Songs with a festival theme enjoy enduring popularity in Japan.
This time, we’ve put together a ranking of popular festival tracks.
It features songs with a nostalgic vibe as well as tunes that capture the excitement of a festival.
They’re perfect as BGM for festivals, too.
- [Let's Enjoy Japanese Festival Songs!] Songs about festivals. Famous songs related to festivals.
- A classic song themed around a summer festival. A song of summer memories (2026).
- Top Songs to Hype Up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals [2026]
- [2026] Bon Odori songs every child knows! A roundup of fun festival tunes
- Ranking of Popular Nostalgic Songs and Classics [2026]
- Popular Fireworks Song Rankings [2026]
- Songs that hype up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals: Japanese Music / J-Pop Artist Rankings [2026]
- Popular Summer Songs / Summer Music Ranking [2026]
- Popular Dance Songs Ranking [2026]
- Songs for summer: Popular Artist Rankings [2026]
- [Teens] Popular Songs Ranking by Generation [2026]
- Karaoke Hype Songs Ranking [2026]
- “Japanese Traditions”: Japanese Festival Music (Jun Hōgaku)
Popular Festival Song Rankings [2026] (51–60)
Matsuken Samba II57rank/position
It was created in 1994 and was performed as part of a musical show.
After a special program on the Jidaigeki Specialty Channel, a CS broadcaster, showcased the stage performance in 2003, it generated major buzz.
In 2004, an album compiling the “Matsuken Samba” was released, drew further attention, and sparked a massive boom.
Tokyo Olympic Ondo58rank/position
This is the theme song of the Tokyo Olympics held in 1964.
Because it was themed around Japan’s first time hosting the Olympics, it became a nationwide hit at the time.
In recent years, it was remade in 2017 as “Tokyo Gorin Ondo -2020-” to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics held in 2020.
Awa Odori (Awa Dance Festival)59rank/position
When it comes to Tokushima’s Awa Odori, it can be said to be one of Japan’s most iconic festivals.
A major attraction is the vibrant festival music played on traditional instruments known as narimono, such as flutes, drums, and shamisen.
This Awa Odori music is also incorporated into many Bon Odori events.
Bon Odori is all about enjoying dancing to any kind of music, and Awa Odori’s music fits perfectly too.
Summer memories scented by the windAAA60rank/position
By being tied to a major event like a summer festival, we can sometimes recall not only the scenes from that moment but even the emotions with vivid clarity.
This song by AAA portrays the act of looking back on those scenes and feelings associated with a past summer festival, as well as the passage of time and changes since then.
Centered around the gentle tones of the piano, the sound evokes a quiet reflection on memories and a sense of warmth in the heart.
The summer festival is depicted as the catalyst for love, and you can feel the positive emotions of wanting to cherish that summer festival moving forward.
Popular Festival Song Rankings [2026] (61–70)
Fortune Cookie in LoveAKB4861rank/position
The choreography was done by Papaya Suzuki.
I hear it was created with the image of a “modern, Japan-style bon odori.” Hearing that, it makes sense—calling it choreography rather than dance feels more accurate.
In other words, the moves are simple enough for anyone—men and women of all ages—to dance, just like the bon odori at festivals.
fireworksAdo62rank/position
This song beautifully depicts summer fireworks as a symbol of the fleeting nature of youth.
Included on Ado’s first album, “Kyogen,” it drew significant attention immediately after its release in January 2022.
The feelings that arise at the end of adolescence and during the transition to a new chapter are expressed by likening them to the brief brilliance and fading of fireworks.
Lyrics by Kujira delicately portray the emptiness and loneliness of everyday life, as well as inner turmoil.
The music video created by Gol memorably captures memories of a fireworks festival attended with friends during the sweltering early summer season.
For those who feel lingering attachment to the past and the complexity of living in the present, it’s a song that’s impossible not to relate to.
The world is falling in loveCHiCO with HoneyWorks63rank/position
If you’re looking for a summer festival song that captures a gentle, budding romance, “Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru” is my top recommendation! This track is a collaboration between the creator unit HoneyWorks—affectionately known as Haniwa—and singer CHiCO.
The lyrics portray a tender summer love that evokes the feeling of youth, and it leaves you with a bittersweet ache as you listen.
It’s the perfect song to play when you invite your crush to a summer festival.
