Special Exhibition: Raku Successive Generations — Raku Tea Bowls Crossing Time
25 Apr – 26 Aug 2026
Art / Music / Theater Venue: Raku Museum
Things to Do
Festivals & Events
Kyoto holds many cultural, artistic, and nature-related events throughout the year.
See which ones you will have a chance to experience during your upcoming trip.
*Please note that the displayed dates indicate only the start and the end date of an event. There may be days within that period when the event is not held. Please visit the official website linked below each entry for further details and latest information.
Featured Events
Art / Music / Theater 
Heian Antique Market 2026
21 Jan – 19 Aug 2026
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: Okazaki Park
Pottery Market
09 Jul – 12 Jul 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Senbon Shakadō Temple
Gion Matsuri Festival Yamahoko Junko Float Procession (Early Festival & Latter Festival)
17 Jul – 24 Jul 2026
Traditional Events Venue:
Ukiyo-e Super Creator: Utagawa Kuniyoshi Exhibition
18 Jul – 23 Sep 2026
Art / Music / Theater Venue: Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Main Building (North Wing), 1F
Annual Tanabata Festival for Seidai Myojin
07 Jul 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Shiramine-jingū Shrine
Search for Events
39 Results
Kamo Mitoshiro Noh: Torchlit Noh Theater Performance
01 Jul 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Kamigamo-jinja Shrine
Kyoto Sanjo Shopping Street: Tanabata Night Market
04 Jul 2026
Cuisine / Markets / Other Venue: Kyoto Sanjo Shopping Street
Hydrangea Garden Opening and Illumination
31 May - 05 Jul 2026
Special Openings Venue: Mimuroto-ji Temple
“Jakuchū: Prancing Feathers and Swelling Gourds” Exhibition
25 Apr - 05 Jul 2026
Art / Music / Theater Venue: Fukuda Art Museum
VIE presents ZEN NIGHT: Sound Art Night Event
29 May - 05 Jul 2026
Special Openings Venue: Tofuku-ji Temple
Annual Tanabata Festival for Seidai Myojin
07 Jul 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Shiramine-jingū Shrine
Kifune Water Festival (Tanabata Ritual)
07 Jul 2026
Traditional Events Venue: Kifune-jinja Shrine
Special Early Summer Garden Opening
29 May - 12 Jul 2026
Special Openings Venue: Ryosoku-in Temple
Main Events
Aoi Matsuri Festival
May 15
A long-held procession from Kyoto Imperial Palace to two historic shrines, with 500 people in courtly Heian attire.
Read more
Gion Matsuri Festival
July 1-31
One of the three greatest festivals of Japan, when downtown Kyoto is lively with lavishly decorated festival floats.
Read more
Kyoto Gozan Okuribi Bonfires
August 16
Five mountains around Kyoto are lit up with bonfires as a send-off for ancestral spirits who visit during Obon.
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Jidai Matsuri Festival
October 22
This parade of roughly 2,000 participants dressed in period garb representing over 1,000 years of Kyoto’s history.
Read moreSeasonal Events
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Seasonal Information
No matter what time of year you visit, special experiences await.
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