Basara Festival 2026

About this event

"Basara Matsuri" is a citizen-participation summer festival centered around street dance that began in Nara in the summer of 1999. Overflowing with a live-performance vibe, the festival features glamorous dance performances and parades by various groups (dance troupes) dressed in elaborate costumes. In 2026, it will be held on Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30. On the first day, dedicatory dance performances and parades will take place at Todai-ji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine. On the second day, performances are scheduled for the stage in front of JR Nara Station, parades along Sanjo Street, and dance performances in the courtyard of the Nara Prefectural Government Office and the Nara Prefectural Bus Terminal Lecture Hall. In front of the Prefectural Government Office, booths organized by the "Genkimon Project" will also open, creating a lively atmosphere. "Basara" refers to a trend popular in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods of breaking rhythms in music and court dance to perform freely and stand out; the festival continues to evolve as an ancient capital Nara summer festival reviving that power and energy in modern times.

Venue

Todai-ji Temple

406-1 Zoshicho, Nara, Nara 630-8587