Hamamatsu Matsuri, held over Japan's Golden Week holiday from 3–5 May, is a unique double festival combining a spectacular daytime kite-fighting competition on Nakatajima Sand Dunes with a dazzling nighttime float parade through the city centre. During the day, teams from different city districts fly massive paper-and-bamboo kites—some up to 3 metres square—attempting to slice rivals' lines with their own in an intensely competitive aerial battle that has been practised for over 430 years to celebrate the birth of firstborn sons. After sunset, elaborately decorated hikiyama floats adorned with thousands of lanterns are pulled through the streets to the sound of festival music, creating an intoxicating blend of noise, colour, and tradition that draws over 1.5 million visitors each year.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Matsuri
- Season
- Spring
- Month
- Early May (3–5 May)
- Region
- Chubu
- Prefecture
- Shizuoka
- City
- Hamamatsu
Highlights
- ◆Massive kite-fighting battles over Nakatajima beach
- ◆430-year tradition celebrating firstborn sons
- ◆Illuminated hikiyama float parade through city streets at night
- ◆Draws over 1.5 million visitors across Golden Week
- ◆Unique combination of aerial competition and lantern procession