Festivals

All of Fukuoka Prefecture

The Three Great Festivals that all cheerful Hakata locals get excited about!

Hakata, the gateway to Kyushu and a prosperous commercial city, is one of Fukuoka’s most lively and active cities. Many of the people here love festivals. Although there are festivals year round in Hakata, the most special are the Dontaku Festival in May, the Yamakasa Festival in July, and the Hojoya Festival in September. These three festivals are known as the Three Great Festivals of Hakata, taking over the thoughts of the people of Hakata from the beginning of summer until autumn. If you plan on visiting Hakata in the summer, be sure to aim for the festival season. The restless air of the city is sure to excite the visiting traveler.

提供：福岡市

The origin word of the Hakata Dontaku is from the Dutch “Zondag”.

The Hataka Dontaku Festival, one of the Three Great Festivals, is Japan’s largest with two million visitors. It began with the Matsubayashi Festival in the year 1179, and was called the “Hakata Dontaku” from 1879. “Dontaku” comes from the Dutch word “Zondag”, meaning holiday. It is a festival where nearly the entire population of Hakata joins in a parade. Over 600 groups participate for a total of 30,000 performers! The program has a heartwarming feel to it, like a cultural festival, with a traditional dance performed while holding a rice scoop, flower cars decorated in neon lights, and other unique acts such as samba. The real fun of the Dontaku is this feeling of wild abandon. Be sure to enjoy a beer and munch on snacks from the food stalls while you take in whatever sights that strike your fancy.

提供：福岡市
提供：福岡市

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival where you’ll hear the calls of “osshoi!” echoing across the city.

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival has a history of over 700 years, and is an intense spectacle where the male participants’ excitement and water spray is carried through the entire event. In the year 1241 with a plague raging in Hakata, the tradition of purification by sprinkling water was born, developing into a festival to ward off disease. The festival begins on July 1st each year. Gorgeously decorated portable shrines known as yamakasa are displayed in various places, giving the entire town a festival spirit. The pinnacle of the festival is before dawn on the 15th. Teams of men carrying a kaki yamakasa run full speed through the town, racing for the best time. Onlookers sprinkle the racers with water, calling osshoi! This is the most intense of the Three Great Festivals of Hakata, stirring the spirits of spectators with the cheers and fire of the racers.