Chichibu Night Festival (Yoimiya & Honmatsuri)

About this event

The Chichibu Night Festival is a traditional festival held every year on December 2 and 3 in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, and is counted as one of Japan's three major float festivals (Hikiyama festivals). Boasting a history of over 350 years, its core is the "Chichibu Festival Yatai Float Events and Kagura," inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. During the festival, a total of 6 floats—2 umbrella-topped kasaboko and 4 yatai floats adorned with vivid, polychromatic wood carvings—are pulled through the city center. The Yoimiya (eve festival) on December 2 serves as a precursor to build excitement for the main event, with floats being paraded from morning and lantern-lit yatai parading at night. Fireworks are also launched, allowing visitors to enjoy the sights in a relatively more relaxed atmosphere than the main festival day. At the Honmatsuri (main festival) on December 3, all 6 floats gather, and the divine procession starting in the evening marks the climax. In particular, the pulling of the floats up "Dango-zaka," a steep slope they must traverse toward the Otabisho, is the festival's greatest spectacle. Furthermore, on the night of the main festival, over 4,000 fireworks are launched to illuminate the night sky of Chichibu. On the floats, Yatai Kabuki, which conveys the commoner culture of the Edo period, is also performed, adding splendor to the festivities.

Venue

Chichibu Shrine

1-3 Bambamachi, Chichibu, Saitama 368-0041