Written by Patrick Balfe
Tokyo events for Monday, August 11, to Sunday, August 17, 2025.
Festival season is in full swing, and you don’t need to brave the Tokyo heat to enjoy many of this week’s offerings.
Head to Chichibu in Saitama for mountainside fireworks and fun. Not far from there, Nagatoro Funadama Boat Lantern Festival also offers a cool reprieve. Back in Tokyo, Shimokitazawa is hosting a party, and if you really don’t mind the heat, Summer Sonic music festival is happening in Chiba.
Kōtō Fireworks Festival
The annual Kōtō Ward Fireworks Festival sees 6,000 fireworks go off — making it about a third of the size of Tokyo’s biggest fireworks festivals. It’s still a good, colorful show in a nice spot — Sunamachi Mizube Park, near the Arakawa River.
Chichibu Ondo Festival
See folk dance and fireworks in a mountainside setting. Starting in the evening, dancers in colorful summer yukata line the streets of Minano in Saitama to perform the Chichibu Ondo, a folk dance originating in the area. Moves reference local practices such as silk farming.
Nagatoro Funadama Boat Lantern Festival
Spend a summer evening relaxing by the water as fireworks bloom above. The Nagatoro Funadama Boat Festival, also known as the Funatama Festival, is a summer fireworks festival with a twist.
Sonicmania
Sonicmania is the warm-up party for Summer Sonic, taking place the night before in the same location at Makuhari Messe. Acts include The Prodigy, Denki Groove, Perfume, Gesaffelstein, Floating Points, and more.
| Advance sales: ¥16,000 | ||
Hakone Daimonji-yaki
On Mt. Myojogatake, viewed from Gora Onsen in Hakone, 205 bamboo stalks will be lit one by one to reveal an enormous burning 大 (dai, meaning big or great). There will also be fireworks.
Shinjuku Kabukichō Bon Dance
Kabukichō is known for lights, action, entertainment, and a few nighttime activities as well. But this year, the summer tradition of Bon Odori — a festival where groups dance around in a circle — will make its way into the heart of Shinjuku.
Asakusa Tōrō Nagashi Lantern Floating
An evening event in which candle-lit lanterns are floated down the Sumida River. Tōrō nagashi is a tradition in which lanterns illuminated with candles are set afloat on rivers to guide the spirits of the ancestors back to the other side during the Obon holiday.
Fresh Meat Vol. 11
If you’re here for drag that shakes up the show, Fresh Meat is the place to go. Performers try their hand at the experimental, unique, and avant-garde for a showstopping night. Fresh Meat #11 will raise much-needed funds for Children of Persia, a charity that benefits impoverished families in Iran.
| Advance sales: ¥2,500 | ||
Meiji Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival
The Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival is the most urban and hence accessible of the Tokyo fireworks festivals. Approximately 10,000 fireworks will be hurled into the air over a paying audience within Jingu Stadium or the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.
Shimokitazawa Awa Odori Festival
Awa Odori is a traditional dance festival made up of many groups of choreographed dancers. It’s a chance to see participants donning traditional Obon outfits, singing, chanting, and dancing throughout the neighborhood — a summertime classic!
Billie Eilish Live in Japan
Billie Eilish is coming to town. The shows will feature a mix of tracks from her latest album alongside older material, performed on a 360° stage setup. Expect a full live band and visuals.
Fukagawa Festival
The Fukagawa Festival is one of the big three Shintō festivals of Tokyo along with the Sanno Matsuri and the Kanda Matsuri. The not-to-miss events are the water-throwing and mikoshi (portable shrine) processions.
Summer Sonic
Summer Sonic is back again for 2025! Set in an amazing location overlooking Tokyo Bay, Summer Sonic’s huge arena is host to a wide range of acts spanning every genre.
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