Hakodate Christmas Fantasy 2026: Dec 1–25, Daily 18:00 Fireworks at the Red Brick Warehouses

Hakodate Christmas Fantasy 2026 runs from Tuesday, December 1 to Friday, December 25, 2026, on the water in front of the Red Brick Warehouses in Hakodate, and admission is free. Fireworks go up once every evening at 18:00, timed with the lighting of the floating Christmas tree. The organiser, the Hakodate Christmas Fantasy Executive Committee, says on its official site that further details "will be announced on this website as they are decided", so the 2026 lighting hours have not been published yet. This page will be updated as soon as they are (checked 2026-10-13).

What is confirmed for 2026 and what is not

Be careful with 2026 listings you find online: many simply repeat last year's times. On the official homepage, the only 2026 item actually displayed is the date range; the lines for lighting hours, the Red Tree and the Soup Bar are hidden, and their content still reads "lighting from 18:00 on 11/29", which is the 2025 wording. If you are planning dinner or transport around a specific time, wait for the official announcement on the organiser's website.

What changed in 2026: a December 1 start

The 2025 edition ran for 27 days, from Saturday, November 29 to Thursday, December 25. The 2026 edition is shorter, with 25 days starting on Tuesday, December 1. If you travel to Hakodate on the last weekend of November 2026, the tree will not be lit yet. The final night is still Christmas Day, December 25.

Fireworks every evening at 18:00

A call for fireworks contractors that the executive committee published on September 10, 2026, sets out the 2026 plan:

• One launch a day at 18:00, every day from December 1 (Tue) to December 25 (Fri): 25 launches in total.
• Each show includes a cross pattern of "tiger tail" starmines (2-inch).
• The planned total across the 25 days is 2,500 shells, ranging from 1.5-inch to No. 5 starmines.
• If a day's show is cancelled for bad weather, its shells are moved to later days so the overall total stays the same.

Last year the official site noted that whether the fireworks go ahead is "decided on site after checking the launch conditions, such as wind", so a windy evening can mean no 18:00 fireworks. In 2025 there were also five evenings of bigger "JRA Special Fireworks" sponsored by JRA Hakodate Racecourse (November 29 and 30, December 21, 24 and 25). Whether that sponsorship returns in 2026 has not been announced.

The Soup Bar

Along the event's main street, on the sidewalk in front of BAY Hakodate, food stalls sell hot soups made with at least one ingredient from southern Hokkaido. According to the organiser's 2026 call for vendors, the Soup Bar is open December 1–25, 16:30–20:00. A cup costs ¥700 on the day, and advance tickets come as two ¥700 tickets for ¥1,400, with a prize-draw entry. The organiser's call allowed up to ten stalls (selection by October 2); the final line-up had not been published as of 2026-10-13. In 2025, eight stalls sold about 26,000 cups over 27 days. Last year, on the day, you could pay for soup directly at each stall with PayPay (QR code payment), or buy tickets from the ticket machines at the venue, which took cash only. Advance tickets were cash only. The 2026 payment method has not been announced (checked 2026-10-13); the organiser's 2026 vendor call says same-day sales will be by ticket.

About the tree

For many years the tree was a fir from Halifax, Canada, Hakodate's sister city. According to the official site, the trees kept arriving dried out and losing needles, and shipping on schedule became difficult because of labour shortages in logistics, so the event now uses a Todo fir grown in Hokkaido. Older articles that describe "a fir tree shipped from Halifax" are out of date. All the power at the venue comes from generators.

Getting there

• Venue: on the water in front of the Red Brick Warehouses, Suehiro-cho, Hakodate, in the Bay Area around the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse.
• By tram: about 5 minutes on foot from the Jujigai stop on the Hakodate city tram (official venue page; Nippon Travel Agency says about 6 minutes).
• By bus: about 2 minutes on foot from the Meijikan-mae stop of Hakodate Bus (official venue page).
• On foot from JR Hakodate Station: roughly 10–15 minutes (the Hokkaido Tourism Organization says about 10, Nippon Travel Agency about 15).
• From Hakodate Airport: about 25 minutes by car (Hokkaido Tourism Organization).
• By car: the official site warns that there is little parking nearby and asks visitors to use public transport. In 2025 there were traffic restrictions around the venue from 16:00 to 20:30 during the event.
• Hotel shuttle: Hakodate-Onuma Prince Hotel lists a free shuttle between the hotel, the venue area and the Mt. Hakodate Ropeway for December 1–25, 2026. It requires a reservation and is for hotel guests only.
• Drones are not allowed at the venue (official venue page).

Tips before you go

• Arrive before 18:00 if you want to see the tree light up with the fireworks. In 2025 the lighting hours were split into 16:30–17:45 and 18:00–22:00, and the fireworks went up with the 18:00 lighting.
• Cancellations and time changes: the organiser says times may change, or the event may be cancelled, because of weather. In December 2025, after an earthquake measuring up to shindo 6+ in Aomori Prefecture on December 8 led to a tsunami advisory for Hakodate, the committee announced that the harbourside event would be cancelled on any day a tsunami advisory or higher was in force at noon (a temporary measure for about a week after the quake), with updates on its official Facebook page (facebook.com/hakodatexmas). Check that page on the day.
• Dress for the wind: the venue is right on the harbour and can be very cold in the evening, so bring gloves and a hat.
• Language: the official website is in Japanese only (checked 2026-10-13).
• For summer in the same city, see Hakodate Port Festival 2026. To add another stop to a Hokkaido winter trip, see Sapporo Snow Festival 2027.

Sources (checked 2026-10-13)

• Hakodate Christmas Fantasy official site (executive committee; 2026 dates announced July 10): http://www.hakodatexmas.com/
• Executive committee call for 2026 fireworks contractors (September 10, 2026): http://www.hakodatexmas.com/images/home/hanabibosyu.pdf
• Executive committee call for 2026 Soup Bar vendors: http://www.hakodatexmas.com/images/home/soupbarbosyu.pdf
• Official venue and "about" pages (still showing 2025 details): http://www.hakodatexmas.com/0200_info.html / http://www.hakodatexmas.com/0100_chrifan.html
• Hokkaido Shimbun (September 15, 2026): https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1371099/
• Hokkaido Tourism Organization event listing: https://www.visit-hokkaido.jp/event/detail_11022.html
• Official homepage notice of December 9, 2025 (tsunami-advisory rule; now hidden on the page): http://www.hakodatexmas.com/
• Hakodate-Onuma Prince Hotel free shuttle timetable (December 1–25, 2026): https://www.princehotels.co.jp//hakodate/files/acces_bus_ropeway20261201-1225.pdf

Enquiries: Hakodate Christmas Fantasy Executive Committee secretariat (inside the Hakodate International Tourism and Convention Association), +81-138-27-3535, weekdays 8:45–17:30.

Update log: 2026-10-13, page created from the organiser's 2026 dates, fireworks specification and Soup Bar vendor call.