On the final night of the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri — one of Japan's top three summer festivals — enormous illuminated warrior nebuta floats are paraded to the harbor and launched onto the sea in a ceremonial send-off, accompanied by a grand fireworks display. The contrast of fire in the sky and glowing floats on dark water is extraordinarily dramatic. Crowds of over three million attend the week-long festival, with the closing ceremony fireworks attracting the densest gathering. Reserved bayfront seats sell out months in advance.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Fireworks
- Season
- Summer
- Month
- Early August
- Region
- Tohoku
- Prefecture
- Aomori
- City
- Aomori
Highlights
- ◆Fireworks accompany the ceremonial sea-launch of giant nebuta floats
- ◆Closing night of one of Japan's top three summer festivals
- ◆Dramatic contrast of illuminated floats on dark harbor water
- ◆Attended by over 3 million visitors across the festival week
- ◆Bayfront reserved seating available months ahead