Saga Festival Calendar 2026-2027: Karatsu Kunchi, Balloon Fiesta and Tonten-ton in Date Order

Saga Prefecture's autumn-to-winter festival season runs on four pillars: the Imari Tonten-ton Festival on October 24-25 (river-drop on the 25th), the Saga International Balloon Fiesta on October 30 to November 3, Karatsu Kunchi on November 2-4, and the Ohitaki fire rite at Yutoku Inari Shrine on December 8. For 2027 this page lists only dates the organisers have already published; everything else is marked "not announced (last time: ...)".

Checked 2026-10-11. Sources are the Saga Prefecture Tourism Federation's event listings ("Asobo Saga") and the organisers' own pages (Imari Shrine festival committee, Imari City, the Saga Balloon Fiesta organising committee, Karatsu Tourism Association, Yutoku Inari Shrine, the Saga Castle Town Hinamatsuri committee, Saga Sakura Marathon, Kashima Sake Brewery Tourism, Arita Chamber of Commerce, Kashima Gatalympic, Takeo Tourism Association, Imari Nabeshima Ware Cooperative, Yoshinogari Historical Park). No aggregator sites were used. For the rest of Kyushu see Fukuoka and Kyushu yatai festivals and Nagasaki Kunchi; for festival etiquette in general, regional matsuri beyond Tokyo.

Saga festival calendar in date order (October 2026 to 2027)

"Confirmed" means the date appears on the organiser's, the municipality's or the prefectural tourism federation's official page. "Not announced" means no 2027 date had been published as of 2026-10-11; only the previous edition is given.

The three autumn pillars: Tonten-ton, the balloons, Karatsu Kunchi

The Imari Tonten-ton Festival is the procession festival of Imari Shrine, in which a rough mikoshi and a drum float ram each other to the "ton-ten-ton" of the drums. The committee's official 2026 schedule is October 19 (Mon) shrine ceremony, October 23 (Fri) yasumaku, October 24 (Sat) first main day and October 25 (Sun) final main day, with the river-drop on the 25th. Imari City's "Imari Autumn Festival 2026" notice turns sections of the Honmachi bypass and Ekidori into pedestrian-only streets from October 23 to 25 in daily time windows. Only one section, the bypass from Motooka Hardware to the Hamamachi crossing, is closed continuously from 15:00 on October 23 to 21:00 on October 25; check the city's traffic map for the other sections. From 15:00 to 20:00 on the 25th, Matsushima Bridge is pedestrian-only, but pedestrians are also barred from 17:00 to 18:00. Funaya Bridge is closed to pedestrians in the same window, and viewing from it is limited to 100 permit holders, with permits issued from 15:30 on the 25th near the Funaya Bridge entrance on the Saga Bank side. A shuttle bus between City Hall and the JR Imari Station area runs 9:00-21:30 and may be delayed by the battles between 11:00 and 13:50 on the 25th. Details are on Imari Tonten-ton Festival 2026.

The Saga International Balloon Fiesta 2026 competition runs five days, October 30 (Fri) to November 3 (Tue, holiday), and the whole programme including official practice and the awards ceremony is October 28 (Wed) to November 4 (Wed), according to the organising committee's outline. 123 balloons are entered, 25 of them from overseas: 72 in competition, 21 in the fiesta class, 20 in Balloon Fantasia and 10 official balloons (as published on 2026-09-08). Competition flights are at 7:00 and 15:00 and are cancelled in bad weather. Admission is free; only the temporary car park on the north riverbed inside the venue costs 2,000 yen. A temporary station, JR Balloon Saga, opens on the riverbed during the event, but neither the station nor the riverbed car park can be used on the practice days of October 28 and 29. The dates of the night glow "La Montgolfier Nocturne" are on the official schedule page (https://www.sibf.jp/2026/schedule/). Venue and ticket details are on Saga International Balloon Fiesta 2026.

Karatsu Kunchi is the autumn grand festival of Karatsu Shrine and is inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. In 2026 it runs November 2 (Mon) to 4 (Wed) around Karatsu Shrine, about 10 minutes on foot from JR Karatsu Station. The night of the 2nd is the Yoi-yama lantern procession, the 3rd is the Otabisho procession, with the "kabu-kabu" lion dance offered in the shrine grounds early that morning, and the 4th is the closing day. Karatsu City's 2026 notice (updated 2026-10-06) gives the procession start times as 19:00 on November 2, 9:30 on November 3 and 10:00 on November 4. The city notes that the November 2 start is 30 minutes earlier than in 2025, so disregard listings that still say 19:30. Drivers are asked to use the municipal paid car parks or the free temporary car parks (Matsuura Kahan Park, 300 spaces, and others). The temporary car parks are open 9:00-17:00 on the 3rd and 4th and from 17:00 on the 2nd. Closing time that night is 22:30 according to the city and 22:00 according to the Karatsu Tourism Association's notice to travel agencies, so plan to leave early. No shuttle bus runs from the temporary car parks. Travel-agency charter buses must drop off at the Kindai Library by the station's south exit, not in the station rotary (Karatsu Tourism Association, 2026-10-06). The 14 floats are covered on Karatsu Kunchi 2026. The other famous "kunchi", Nagasaki Kunchi, is October 7-9; on the Saga side, Ochi Kunchi (October 16-18) and Yobuko Kunchi (October 17-18) come first.

Winter: Ohitaki, Hinamatsuri, Hatsu-uma

Yutoku Inari Shrine's Ohitaki (autumn grand festival) is fixed on the shrine's annual calendar as December 8, the night rite of the Niiname-sai harvest festival. The 2025 listing on Asobo Saga gave lighting at 20:00, free, about 15 minutes by car from JR Hizen-Kashima Station; confirm the 2026 time with the shrine (0954-62-2151). The same shrine's Hatsu-uma Festival falls on "the first Horse day of February"; check the shrine for the 2027 calendar date.

The 27th Saga Castle Town Hinamatsuri has already been scheduled by its committee (announced 2026-07-16): February 13 (Sat) to March 14 (Sun) 2027, 10:00-17:00 with last entry 16:30, on the theme "Hana-meguri" (flower tour). The main venues are the Chokokan, the Saga City History and Folklore Museum and the Saga Castle Honmaru History Museum; a tour ticket covering the former Koga Bank, the former Sansho Bank, the former Fukuda residence and other historic buildings costs 1,000 yen. The 26th edition ran February 14 to March 15, 2026.

Spring: Sakura Marathon, Kashima sake breweries, ceramics fairs

The Saga Sakura Marathon 2027 starts at 9:00 on March 21, 2027. General entry is first-come on RUNNET from noon on October 1 to 23:59 on October 21, closing early once full. As of 2026-10-11 the official entry page shows the general category as "Yuzureru accepting", so the first-come places may already be taken. Yuzureru, the bib-transfer service, runs until 23:59 on November 1 (Sun) according to the official notice of 2026-10-09, and a transfer is not guaranteed. The field is 8,500 for the marathon and 1,500 for the fun run, and fees are 14,500 yen and 6,000 yen respectively (official entry page).

Kashima Sake Brewery Tourism 2027 was announced on the official site on 2026-05-27 for "March 27 (Sat) and 28 (Sun), 2027", at five breweries and across Kashima City. The 2026 edition was March 28-29 with a 500-yen cooperation fee for visitors aged 20 and over, and the Hizen Hamashuku Flower and Sake Festival, Yutoku Monzen Sakura Festival and Ureshino Onsen Brewery Festival were held the same days; the 2027 same-day events are explicitly "to be announced on the official site and SNS once decided".

The Arita Ceramics Fair is run by the Arita Chamber of Commerce. The 122nd fair ran seven days, April 29 (Wed, holiday) to May 5 (Tue, holiday) 2026; the 2027 (123rd) dates had not been published as of 2026-10-11. Imari's Nabeshima Domain Kiln Market in Okawachiyama is listed on the cooperative's annual calendar as April 29 to May 5 and was held on those dates in 2026; 2027 is not announced.

Early summer: Sakae-no-Kuni, Gatalympic, Yobuko tug-of-war

The Saga Castle Town Sakae-no-Kuni Festival turns the station-front Chuo-dori into a pedestrian zone for mikoshi parades and the mass "so-odori" dance; the 55th edition was May 23-24, 2026. The Saga City Tourism Association describes it as "a weekend from late May to early June", and the 56th (2027) edition is not announced.

The Kashima Gatalympic is a festival of odd competitions on the Ariake Sea mudflats. The 42nd was May 31, 2026, 12:00-16:00, at Nanaura Seaside Sports Park (Michi-no-Eki Kashima); spectating is free, competitors pay, and parking is at the Yutoku Inari Shrine lot with a free shuttle. The official site has no notice yet for the 43rd (2027) edition.

The Yobuko Great Tug-of-War traces to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's encampment at Nagoya Castle and is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. In 2026 it was held on June 6 (Sat) in front of the Yobuko Citizens' Center and on June 7 (Sun) in front of the Three Shrines, with a 200 m rope, best of three, and visitors allowed to join. 2027 is not announced.

Getting there, in brief

• Karatsu Kunchi: about 10 minutes on foot from JR Karatsu Station. Drivers use the paid municipal car parks or the free temporary car parks (no shuttle bus to the venue); the city recommends public transport.
• Balloon Fiesta: step off at the temporary JR Balloon Saga station. Free city car parks (about 2,000 spaces) are linked by shuttle bus (250 yen one way for adults, 130 yen for children).
• Yutoku Inari Shrine: about 15 minutes by car from JR Hizen-Kashima Station. The Gatalympic venue is about 10 minutes on foot from JR Hizen-Nanaura Station.
• Okawachiyama (Nabeshima kilns): about 15 minutes by car from Imari Station (buses available). Kunenan: about 10 minutes by taxi or bus from JR Kanzaki Station.

Sources (checked 2026-10-11)

• Saga Prefecture Tourism Federation, Asobo Saga event listings (https://www.asobo-saga.jp/events/list?page=1) - dates, venues and admission for each row
• Imari Shrine festival committee, 2026 details (https://tontenton.jp/?page_id=2521) / Imari City, Imari Autumn Festival 2026 (https://www.city.imari.lg.jp/24166.htm)
• Saga Balloon Fiesta organising committee, 2026 outline (https://www.sibf.jp/2026/outline/) visitor Q&A (https://www.sibf.jp/visitors/overview.html) and parking guide (https://www.sibf.jp/parking/)
• Karatsu City, Karatsu Kunchi 2026 information (https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/26467.html) / Karatsu Tourism Association, Karatsu Kunchi feature (https://www.karatsu-kankou.jp/feature/karatsukunchi/) and charter-bus notice for travel agencies (https://www.karatsu-kankou.jp/news/detail/21)
• Yutoku Inari Shrine, annual events (https://www.yutokusan.jp/event/annual/)
• Saga Castle Town Hinamatsuri committee (https://saga-hinamatsuri.jp/) / Saga City Tourism Association, main events (https://www.sagabai.com/main/3538.html)
• Saga Sakura Marathon 2027 race outline (https://www.sagasakura-marathon.jp/outline/), entry (https://www.sagasakura-marathon.jp/entry/) and Yuzureru notice of 2026-10-09 (https://www.sagasakura-marathon.jp/info/%e3%80%8c%e3%82%86%e3%81%9a%e3%82%8c%ef%bd%9e%e3%82%8b%e3%80%8d%e5%8f%97%e4%bb%98%e6%9c%9f%e9%96%93%e4%b8%ad%e3%81%a7%e3%81%99%ef%bc%81/) / Kashima Sake Brewery Tourism news (https://sakagura-tourism.com/news/)
• Arita Chamber of Commerce, Arita Ceramics Fair (https://www.arita-toukiichi.or.jp/) / Arita Tourism Association, autumn ceramics festival (https://www.arita.jp/event/toujikimatsuri/)
• Kashima Gatalympic (https://kashimagatalympic.com/) / Takeo Tourism Association, autumn festival (https://www.takeo-kk.net/event/002628.php) and kiln openings (https://www.takeo-kk.net/news/002630.php)
• Imari Nabeshima Ware Cooperative (https://imari-ookawachiyama.com/) / Yoshinogari Historical Park, fire festival (https://www.yoshinogari.jp/event/yoshinogari-himatsuri-4.html) / Saga Light Fantasy (https://sagalf.jp/)

Update log: 2026-10-11 first edition (confirmed dates for October 2026 to March 2027 and the last-held dates of the unannounced 2027 festivals, all checked against official pages).