Kyoto Hotels

Jidai Matsuri

Jidai Matsuri is a traditional Japanese festival that celebrates the city's long and rich history. The highlight of the festival is a grand procession that features over 2,000 participants dressed in traditional costumes representing different eras of Kyoto's history.

• Start date: October 22, 2026
• End date: October 22, 2026

New Year Festival at Yasaka Jinja

From early on the first morning of the New Year, millions of people visit Yasaka Shrine in Gion to pray for good health for the coming year. The crush of the crowds is quite awe-inspiring and probably best viewed from afar—unless you like crowds of course.

• Start date: December 31, 2026
• End date: January 1, 2027

• Event website

Toka Ebisu

Toka Ebisu is an important festival held at the Ebisu Shrine in Kyoto, Japan. It is held each year in early January, usually from the 8th to the 12th. The festival honors Ebisu, one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japanese mythology associated with prosperity, business, and good fortune.

• Start date: January 8, 2027
• End date: January 12, 2027

Setsubun Mantoro

Setsubun Mantoro is an annual Japanese event at the Kasuga Taisha Temple in Nara. The event starts with lighting thousands of stone lanterns, also called "stone lanterns" or "toro," within the temple and along the walkways leading to Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

• Start date: February 3, 2027
• End date: February 3, 2027

Baikasai Festival

The Baikasai event, held on February 25th at Kyoto's Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, is a Plum Blossom festival. The celebration revolves around a traditional tea ceremony known as "Baika-sai," in which geiko and maiko serve tea to visitors against the backdrop of the shrine's magnificent plum blossoms.

• Start date: February 26, 2027
• End date: February 26, 2027

Kyoto Cherry Blossom Festival

The Kyoto Cherry Blossom Festival at Maruyama Park is a celebration of the arrival of spring in Japan and the beauty of cherry blossom trees. The highlight of the festival is the stunning display of cherry blossom trees in full bloom, which transform the park into a sea of pink and white blossoms.

• Start date: March 25, 2027
• End date: April 9, 2027

Miyako Odori

Miyako Odori is an annual dance performance that takes place in Kyoto, Japan, during the spring season. The dance is performed by the geiko and maiko (geisha apprentices) of the Gion district and showcases their exquisite artistry and traditional dance skills.

• Start date: April 1, 2027
• End date: April 30, 2027

• Event website

Aoi Matsuri

The Aoi Matsuri or Hollyhock Festival takes place in Kyoto every year on May 15 and supposedly dates back to the Heian period when the local citizens' prayers for divine benevolence were answered. The procession of people dressed in period costumes leaves from the south of the Imperial Palace.

• Start date: May 15, 2027
• End date: May 15, 2027

Kifune Matsuri

Kifune Matsuri is a vibrant celebration held at Kyoto's Kifune Shrine. The festival dedicated to the deity of water and rain, revered at Kifune Shrine, is held annually on June 1st. The ceremony begins with an offering of dancing and music, followed by carrying mikoshi to the inner shrine.

• Start date: June 1, 2027
• End date: June 1, 2027

Gion Matsuri

The Gion Festival is Kyoto's most famous and colorful festival, dating back to 869. Over 30 tall wooden floats, or hoko, are paraded slowly through the streets of downtown Kyoto, pulled by hundreds of white-clad volunteers. Subsidiary events centered on Yasaka Shrine take place throughout July.

• Start date: July 1, 2027
• End date: July 31, 2027

Mitarashi-sai Festival

The Mitarashi-sai Festival is a traditional event held annually in July at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto. It is famous for its one-of-a-kind purification ceremonies, which involve people walking through a shallow stream within the temple grounds. It is believed that the process cleanses one's soul.

• Start date: July 18, 2027
• End date: July 30, 2027