Highlights
- About 480,000 LEDs on 127 zelkova trees along Jozenji-dori (2025, 40th edition)
- The Starlight Wink: every light goes off for about a minute and comes back on at once (2025: Fri–Sun and 24–25 Dec at 18:30 and 19:00)
- The Starlight Rink outdoor ice rink in Kotodai Park and the Sendai Christmas Market in Nishikicho Park (2025)
Background & story
According to the official leaflet, the event began in 1986 from the wish to brighten winter in Sendai and turn the City of Trees into a City of Light. 2025 was its 40th edition. It is funded by donations and sponsorship from residents and companies.
The dates and lighting hours for the SENDAI Pageant of Starlight 2026 have not been announced yet (checked 2026-10-13). The venue is Jozenji-dori Avenue in central Sendai, and the previous edition in 2025 ran for 24 nights, from Friday 5 December to Sunday 28 December, and was free to view. The organiser's official website currently says, in Japanese, that the committee is "preparing for the 2026 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight". This page will be updated with the 2026 schedule as soon as the organiser publishes it.
Every fact below comes from the organiser's own website, its official 2025 leaflet, the City of Sendai's December 2025 newsletter, or JR East's travel magazine. Where only one source says something, we name it next to the fact.
What has been announced for 2026 (checked 2026-10-13)
- Dates and lighting hours: not announced. The home page of the official site (sendaihikape.jp) says the committee is preparing for the 2026 event. The overview and FAQ pages still show the 2025 schedule.
- Volunteers: the organiser recruited its "2026 Winter Angels" volunteer team between 18 August and 20 September 2026 and announced that it held the selection for the 10th intake on 23 September. The recruitment notice gives the volunteers' activity period as "October to 27 December". That is the volunteer schedule, not an announcement of the lighting period, so do not treat it as the event's end date.
- Fundraising: on 2 September 2026 the official site announced that Hotel Metropolitan Sendai and Hotel Metropolitan Sendai East had started selling a "2026 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight" donation plan.
Some travel listings already show exact 2026 dates. The organiser has not published those dates, so if you book flights or a hotel before the announcement, choose options you can cancel or change.
The 2025 edition at a glance (the 40th)
These are the organiser's figures for 2025, a useful guide to what 2026 will look like until the new schedule is out. Sources: the official overview page, the official 2025 leaflet (PDF) and the City of Sendai newsletter for December 2025.
| Item | 2025 (40th edition), as published by the organiser |
|---|---|
| Dates | Fri 5 Dec – Sun 28 Dec 2025 (24 days) |
| Lighting hours, Mon–Thu | 19:00–22:00 JST |
| Lighting hours, Fri–Sat | 18:00–22:00 JST |
| Lighting hours, Sun | 18:00–21:00 JST |
| 24 and 25 Dec (Wed, Thu) | 18:00–22:00 JST |
| Lit section | Jozenji-dori, from Sendai Mitsukoshi (east end) to Jozenji Garden Hills Geihinkan (west end) |
| Scale | About 480,000 LEDs on 127 zelkova trees |
| Admission | Free to view; the glowing "Hikaring" ring is a thank-you gift for donations of 300 yen or more |
| Theme | 40th Anniversary:Re |
The official leaflet says the event began in 1986, born from the wish to "brighten winter in Sendai" and turn the "City of Trees" into a "City of Light". The 2025 edition was the 40th, a number the official overview page and JR East's magazine both give.
Starlight Wink: when the lights go out
The Starlight Wink is the moment every bulb on the avenue switches off for about a minute and then comes back on at once. In 2025 the official event page listed it on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the run, plus 24 and 25 December, twice a night at 18:30 and 19:00. JR East's magazine gave the same two times. Whether it runs in 2026, and at what times, has not been announced (checked 2026-10-13). Arrive on Jozenji-dori a little before the time you want to see.
Getting there
- Nearest station: Kotodai-koen Station on the Sendai Subway Namboku Line, a one-minute walk (official access page). From the west exit of JR Sendai Station, take the Namboku Line towards Izumi-Chuo and get off at Kotodai-koen.
- Walking from Sendai Station: JR East's magazine puts it at about 15 minutes from the west exit.
- From Sendai Airport: the airport rail link reaches JR Sendai Station in about 20 minutes (official access page).
- By car: the official FAQ says there is no event parking and asks visitors to use paid car parks nearby. The 2025 leaflet asked visitors to use public transport and not to stop or park on the street.
- Sightseeing bus: in 2025 the city's Loople Sendai loop bus ran a "Pageant of Starlight" service on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 to 28 December, leaving Sendai Station between 17:40 and 19:20. A loop took about 30 minutes, and fares were 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for children (City of Sendai newsletter and official leaflet).
What ran alongside it in 2025
- Sendai Christmas Market 2025: at Nishikicho Park, 5 to 25 December (City of Sendai newsletter and official event page).
- Starlight Rink: an outdoor ice rink in Kotodai Park. It opened on 5 December 2025, and its second season ran from 2 January to 15 February 2026 (official event page).
- Lighting ceremony: 5 December 2025, 17:40 to 18:00, on the Jozenji-dori promenade in front of Sendai Mediatheque (official event page and JR East).
Tips before you go
- Rain or snow: the official FAQ says the lights stay on in bad weather, except in a disaster or similar unavoidable situation. Individual events such as stage shows may be cancelled because of the weather, and the official site posts any cancellations.
- Accessible toilets: the official FAQ lists wheelchair-accessible toilets at Tokyo Electron Hall Miyagi, Sendai Mediatheque, Tokunet Hall Sendai, El Park Sendai and the War Reconstruction Memorial Hall. The committee does not lend wheelchairs.
- Crowds: the 2025 official map marked several junctions around the venue with the warning "very crowded".
- Language: the official website and leaflet are in Japanese only (checked 2026-10-13). A translation app helps if you want to read the event page or the map.
- Weekends: in 2025 the lights came on an hour earlier (18:00) from Friday to Sunday, and the Starlight Wink ran only on those nights and on 24–25 December. If you want to see the Wink, plan your visit for one of those nights.
- If you are planning more of the year, see Sendai's big summer festival in our Sendai Tanabata Festival guide, and another Tohoku winter night in the Zao Snow Monsters light-up.
Sources (checked 2026-10-13)
- SENDAI Pageant of Starlight official site, including the home, overview, FAQ, access and event pages: https://sendaihikape.jp/
- Official 2025 leaflet (PDF): https://sendaihikape.jp/systemfile/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/a290e8e709015eabf67b6d9e15f2683b.pdf
- City of Sendai newsletter (Shisei-dayori), December 2025, pp. 18–19: https://www.city.sendai.jp/shiminkoho/shise/koho/koho/shisedayori/2025-12/documents/2025-12P18-19.pdf
- JR East "JRE Media": https://media.jreast.co.jp/articles/5163
Update log: created 2026-10-13. The 2026 dates are not yet announced, so this page lists the organiser's 2025 data.
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- Kotodai-koen Station (Sendai Subway Namboku Line), 1 minute on foot (official). About 15 minutes on foot from the west exit of JR Sendai Station (JR East). No event parking (official FAQ).
- Booking & entry
- Check tickets and details on the official page (button above).
- Paying
- 2026 details not announced (checked 2026-10-13). The 2025 edition was free to view; the glowing "Hikaring" ring was a thank-you gift for donations of 300 yen or more.. Smaller venues in Japan are often cash-first — carry some yen (cards/IC not guaranteed).
- Language
- The official website and leaflet are in Japanese only (checked 2026-10-13).
- Good for
- date night
Good to know
The 2026 dates were not announced as of 2026-10-13. Watch the official site sendaihikape.jp and book refundable rooms. In 2025 the lights came on at 18:00 from Friday to Sunday, and the Starlight Wink was mainly at weekends. There is no parking, so take the Namboku Line to Kotodai-koen.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the SENDAI Pageant of Starlight 2026?
- As of 13 October 2026 the organiser has not announced the 2026 dates. Its website says it is preparing for the 2026 event. The 2025 edition ran for 24 days, from Friday 5 December to Sunday 28 December. The "December 2026" shown in this page's date field is a placeholder, not a confirmed date.
- What time do the lights turn on?
- The 2026 hours have not been announced (checked 2026-10-13). In 2025 the lights were on from 19:00 to 22:00 Monday to Thursday, 18:00 to 22:00 on Friday and Saturday, 18:00 to 21:00 on Sunday, and 18:00 to 22:00 on 24 and 25 December (official site).
- What time is the Starlight Wink?
- The Starlight Wink is when every light goes off for about a minute and comes back on at once. In 2025 it ran at 18:30 and 19:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus 24 and 25 December (official event page). The 2026 times have not been announced (checked 2026-10-13).
- Where is it, and what is the nearest station?
- It is on Jozenji-dori Avenue in Aoba-ku, Sendai. In 2025 the lights ran from Sendai Mitsukoshi at the east end to Jozenji Garden Hills Geihinkan at the west end. The nearest station is Kotodai-koen on the Sendai Subway Namboku Line, a one-minute walk (official). JR Sendai Station's west exit is about 15 minutes on foot (JR East).
- Is it free? Is there parking?
- The 2025 edition was free to view. The glowing "Hikaring" ring was a thank-you gift for donations of 300 yen or more. The 2026 details are not yet announced (checked 2026-10-13). The official FAQ says there is no event parking and asks visitors to use nearby paid car parks or public transport.
- Do the lights stay on in rain or snow?
- Yes. The official FAQ says the lights stay on in bad weather, except in a disaster or similar unavoidable situation. Individual events may be cancelled because of the weather, and the official site announces any cancellations.