Koriyama Music Festival "Raku" 2026

About this event

A citizen-participatory festival where the entire castle town of Yamatokoriyama turns into a town of music for just one day. Marking its 18th edition this year, this event is centered around DMG MORI Yamato Koriyama Castle Hall, with performances by publicly selected artists taking place simultaneously across over a dozen locations, including a bus park, sake breweries, a cafe inside the Koriyama Castle ruins, and shopping streets in front of the station. Marching performances echo across the Koriyama High School grounds, brass band concerts by junior high and high school students with a joint performance of over 100 people resound in the Main Hall, and gospel music fills the Small Hall. Most venues offer free admission, and with food trucks and markets lining the streets, the best way to enjoy the event is hopping between stages while strolling through the town known for its goldfish. At the main venue, DMG MORI Yamato Koriyama Castle Hall Main Hall, the Brass Band Stage opens at 13:30 / starts at 14:00 / scheduled to end at 16:30, featuring 5 junior high and high school brass band groups and a joint performance of over 100 people, followed by a finale sing-along of the theme song by all participants starting at 16:30. In the Small Hall, the Gospel Festival is held from 11:00 to 16:30, featuring 8 performing groups. Publicly selected stages run from 11:00 to 16:10 in the Reception Hall (B1F) and Bus Park (south side of the hall), and at the Bus Park, the "Raku-Shoku" food trucks and stalls can also be enjoyed from 10:00 to 15:30. For castle town venues, the Marching Stage at Koriyama High School grounds opens at 13:30 / starts at 14:00 (featuring Yagi Junior High School and Shijonawate Gakuen High School Burning Bravers); Nakatani Sake Brewery Yanagimachi Brewery (Goldfish Street) hosts public stages from 11:00 to 16:10 with a one-drink system (sake / soft drinks 300 yen). Banya Cafe (inside Koriyama Castle ruins) also holds public stages from 11:00 to 16:10, while the "Koriyama Collection" (fashion show, held concurrently) takes place at Otemon Yagura Square, and the "Koriyama Marche" (held concurrently) is held at Sannomaru Green Space. At independent venues (station front / Goldfish Street), "Yamatokoriyama Ekimae Music Festival" takes place at Mailbox Pharmacy from 11:45 to 17:00, the same event at Alan Cafe & Bar from 11:30 to 14:40 (one-drink system), "KINGYO MUSIC LIVE" at Kingyo Cafe Yanagiya / Hidamari (one-order system), at Nico Cafe from 13:30 to 15:20, and "Let's Enjoy Classical Music" at Sugiyama Salon (formerly Sugiyama Pediatric Clinic) from 13:00 to 15:15.

Venue

DMG MORI Yamato Koriyama Castle Hall

211-3 Kitakoriyamacho, Yamatokoriyama, Nara 639-1160