Fukuoka & Hakata festival calendar 2026–2027 — Hakata Okunchi, Hojoya, Dontaku, Yamakasa and the Kyushu sumo tournament, in date order

The three great festivals of Hakata are Hakata Dontaku (3–4 May), Hakata Gion Yamakasa (1–15 July) and Hojoya at Hakozaki Shrine (12–18 September), as Hakozaki Shrine itself describes them. This page lists the major festivals and big-ticket events of Fukuoka, Kitakyushu and Munakata in date order, using only the organisers' official announcements, checked on 2026-09-13. Where a 2027 date has not been announced we say so instead of guessing.

Calendar (October 2026 – November 2027, in date order)

Month by month

October — Miare Festival and Hakata Okunchi

On 1 October a flotilla carries the deities of Okinoshima and Oshima across to Konominato for Munakata Taisha's autumn festival, which runs to 3 October. On 23–24 October Kushida Shrine holds Hakata Okunchi, with the ox-cart procession through Hakata on the 24th. → Miare Festival 2026 / Hakata Okunchi 2026

November — the marathon and the sumo start on the same day

In 2026 the Fukuoka Marathon (starting in Tenjin) and day one of the Kyushu sumo tournament both fall on Sunday 8 November. The tournament runs 15 days to Sunday 22 November at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center. The 2027 tournament is already on the Japan Sumo Association's schedule: 14–28 November, advance tickets from 18 September. → Kyushu Basho 2026 / Kyushu Basho 2027

January — Toka Ebisu

Hakata's New Year opens with the Toka Ebisu festival on 8–11 January: the Kaiun Goza rites run from 10:00 on the 9th to midnight on the 10th, the geisha of the Hakata district walk to the shrine on the afternoon of the 9th, and the lucky draw runs all four days (shrine's official page).

May — Hakata Dontaku

Every year on 3–4 May: a parade along Meiji-dori and stages across the city over two days. → Hakata Dontaku 2027

July — Yamakasa, Kokura Gion Daiko and Tobata Gion

Hakata Gion Yamakasa runs 1–15 July (association's official period), peaking with the Oiyama race at dawn on the 15th. In Kitakyushu, Kokura Gion Daiko and Tobata Gion Oyamagasa follow — but neither 2027 date had been announced as of 2026-09-13 (2026: Kokura 17–19 July, Tobata 25 July). → Yamakasa / Kokura Gion Daiko / Tobata Gion Oyamagasa

September — Hojoya

Seven days every year, 12–18 September, with hundreds of stalls along the approach to Hakozaki Shrine — Kyushu's largest autumn festival, with a portable-shrine procession in alternate years (shrine's official page). → Hojoya

Venue guides (concerts and exhibitions)

For non-festival events, our venue pages carry real capacity and seating figures. → Marine Messe Fukuoka (Hall A / Hall B capacity) / Zepp Fukuoka (capacity and seating)

How and when this was checked

Verified 2026-09-13 against: the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Promotion Association (festival period 1–15 July), the Japan Sumo Association annual schedule (November 2026 and 2027), the Fukuoka Marathon outline, Toka Ebisu Shrine's New Year page, Hakozaki Shrine's Hojoya page and the Tobata Gion association. Miare, Okunchi and Dontaku dates are the officially confirmed values on their individual pages. Dates can change; check the official page before you go.