Highlights
- Shibuya City announced its Halloween measures at a September 30, 2026 press conference under the slogan "GOODBYE BAD HALLOWEEN", asking people to stop nuisance behaviour such as street drinking, street smoking, littering and blocking foot traffic, and to enjoy local and venue events with good manners (verified 2026-10-11).
- The Hachiko statue will be enclosed by temporary fencing from October 30 through November 1 to prevent crowding (check Shibuya City for the exact installation and removal times).
- 62 alcohol retailers in and around the no-street-drinking zone are asked to suspend alcohol sales from 6:00 PM Oct 31 to 5:00 AM Nov 1 (a request, not a legal ban; 58 stores in 2025).
- About 185 security guards in total from Oct 30 to Nov 1 (Mainichi reports roughly 60 on the night of Oct 30 and about 125 on Oct 31), plus about 70 ward staff doing awareness and enforcement.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police (Shibuya Police Station) plan vehicle closures and other traffic measures around Shibuya Station from the evening of Friday Oct 30 to the early morning of Sunday Nov 1; parking meters near the station are suspended all day.
- Under the ordinance in force since October 1, 2024, drinking in streets and parks is banned every day from 6:00 PM to 5:00 AM in the designated zone (Shibuya Station, Scramble Crossing, Center-gai, the ward-office area, Miyashita Park, Koen-dori, the Hikarie side, Maruyama-cho) — this is permanent, not a Halloween-only rule.
- Wearing a costume and visiting Shibuya is not illegal, but the mayor said at the press conference that even taking costume photos on the street or leaving trash counts as nuisance behaviour, and asked people to enjoy local and venue events with good manners.
Background & story
The restrictions trace back to a 2018 incident in Center-gai in which revelers overturned a truck, prompting national criticism. Shibuya Ward introduced a seasonal (Halloween + New Year's Eve) public-drinking ban in 2019. After years of large, hard-to-manage crowds, the ward assembly voted unanimously on June 17, 2024 to make the ban permanent and year-round, effective October 1, 2024 — citing crowd-safety concerns similar to the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush in Seoul. Each subsequent Halloween (2023, 2024, 2025) has seen the ward add more crowd-control measures: security patrols, barriers, closed smoking areas, alcohol-sales requests to nearby retailers, and, in 2025, disabling nearby e-scooter rentals.
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- Shibuya Station (JR / Tokyo Metro / Keio Inokashira / Tokyu) — the restricted zone surrounds the station.
- Booking & entry
- Free to attend — details on the official page (button above).
- Language
- Mostly in Japanese — a translation app on your phone helps.
- Good for
- culture seekers, night owls
Good to know
Shibuya City's 2026 measures were confirmed at its September 30 press conference (verified 2026-10-11). Re-check the official Shibuya City site (city.shibuya.tokyo.jp) and the Shibuya Police Station traffic-measures page (keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp) right before the date for final hours and maps. The ward is asking people to stop nuisance behaviour (street drinking and smoking, littering, blocking foot traffic) and to enjoy local and venue events with good manners, and is issuing manner-awareness messages in English, Chinese and Korean. The year-round public-drinking ban (6:00 PM–5:00 AM daily) applies regardless of Halloween, and since June 2026 littering anywhere in the ward carries a ¥2,000 fine, with extra patrol teams on the night. The alcohol-sales suspension is a request, decided store by store. Some Luup and Lime micromobility ports will be taken out of service (check the operators and Shibuya City for the exact ports, dates and hours).
Frequently asked questions
- Is Shibuya Halloween banned in 2026?
- There is no law banning costumes or visiting, but at its September 30, 2026 press conference Shibuya City launched the "GOODBYE BAD HALLOWEEN" campaign, asking people to stop street drinking, street smoking, littering and blocking foot traffic and to enjoy local and venue events with good manners; the mayor said Shibuya is not a town for all-night Halloween partying (verified 2026-10-11). The permanent 6:00 PM–5:00 AM public-drinking ban around Shibuya Station, in force since October 1, 2024, applies again this year.
- Can I still go to Shibuya for Halloween 2026?
- Going is not prohibited, but from Oct 30 to Nov 1 the Hachiko statue is fenced off, police will close roads around Shibuya Station from the evening of Oct 30 to the early morning of Nov 1, and about 185 security guards plus about 70 ward staff will be on duty. The ward is issuing manner-awareness messages in English, Chinese and Korean and asks visitors to enjoy local and venue events with good manners; the mayor said even taking costume photos on the street or leaving trash counts as nuisance behaviour (verified 2026-10-11).
- What exactly is restricted around Halloween in Shibuya?
- The official 2026 measures (announced Sep 30) are: (1) the Hachiko statue fenced off Oct 30–Nov 1; (2) 62 retailers in and around the no-drinking zone asked to suspend alcohol sales from 6:00 PM Oct 31 to 5:00 AM Nov 1; (3) about 185 security guards and about 70 ward staff on patrol; (4) some Luup and Lime micromobility ports taken out of service; (5) police traffic closures from the evening of Oct 30 to the early morning of Nov 1, with parking meters suspended all day. On top of these, the year-round 6:00 PM–5:00 AM public-drinking ban and the ¥2,000 littering fine introduced in June 2026 apply on the night (verified 2026-10-11).
- Will the Hachiko statue be hidden or fenced off in 2026?
- Yes. Shibuya City confirmed on September 30 that the Hachiko statue will again be enclosed in temporary fencing from October 30 through November 1, 2026 (verified 2026-10-11). In 2025 the fencing ran from 6:00 AM Oct 30 to 5:00 AM Nov 1; check the official Shibuya City site (city.shibuya.tokyo.jp) for the exact 2026 start and removal times.
- Are convenience stores in Shibuya banned from selling alcohol on Halloween?
- It is a request, not a legal ban. For 2026 Shibuya City asked 62 alcohol retailers in and around the no-street-drinking zone (58 in 2025) to voluntarily suspend alcohol sales from 6:00 PM on October 31 to 5:00 AM on November 1 (announced Sep 30, verified 2026-10-11). Each store or franchise owner decides whether to comply.
- When do the Halloween traffic restrictions in Shibuya start?
- Shibuya Police Station (Tokyo Metropolitan Police) plans vehicle closures and other traffic measures around Shibuya Station from the evening of Friday, October 30 to the early morning of Sunday, November 1, 2026, and may also set up checkpoints or restrictions on Inokashira-dori and Dogenzaka depending on conditions. Parking meters around the station are suspended all day (verified 2026-10-11). The closure map is in the station's official PDF notice.