Matsuri Tsukuba 2026 (まつりつくば2026)

Matsuri Tsukuba 2026 (まつりつくば2026) is being held on August 22 and 23 around Tsukuba Station in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. This annual summer festival is one of the largest events in Tsukuba, attracting large crowds to the city center.

While Tsukuba is known as a center for scientific research, this festival offers a different side of the city. During the festival, local performances, mikoshi (portable Shinto shrines), and nebuta floats fill the streets around the station.

Matsuri Tsukuba began in 1981 as a local festival in the former Sakura Village, organized by local volunteers. Later, Sakura Village merged with Oho Town, Toyosato Town, and Yatabe Town to form Tsukuba City in 1987. The festival gradually developed into the major annual event in Tsukuba that it is today.

One of the highlights of the festival is the nebuta which are large illuminated festival floats traditionally associated with Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan. Its first appeared at Matsuri Tsukuba in 1998.

These large floats are paraded through the streets along with mikoshi, dancers, musicians, and other performers.

As with many Japanese summer festivals, food stalls are an important part of Matsuri Tsukuba. Visitors can find familiar Japanese festival foods such as takoyaki and yakisoba, as well as a variety of international food.

With Japan experiencing increasingly hot summers in recent years, the festival organizers have announced that Matsuri Tsukuba will move from August to September starting in 2027. The 2027 festival is scheduled to take place on September 25 and 26.