Takayama Festival 2027: spring Sanno Matsuri at Hie Shrine, 14–15 April, with floats and karakuri puppets

The Takayama Festival is two separate festivals, not one event held twice. The spring Sanno Matsuri is held every year on 14–15 April as the annual rite of Hie Shrine, in the south of the old town, with 12 floats. The autumn Hachiman Matsuri is held every year on 9–10 October as the annual rite of Sakurayama Hachimangu, in the north of the old town, with 11 floats.

Both 2026 festivals have taken place. The next is the spring festival on 14–15 April 2027, and its detailed schedule has not been published yet. If there is a particular float you want to see, check which festival it belongs to.

The Sanno and Hachiman festivals together make up the Takayama Festival, counted with Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and the Chichibu Night Festival among Japan's three great float festivals. Takayama City's materials also call it one of Japan's three most beautiful festivals.

The festival takes place in the old town of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture. In spring it centres on Hie Shrine and the Otabisho, about 12 minutes on foot from JR Takayama Station.

Most people come by limited express from Nagoya, a ride of a little over two hours. If you drive, the old town is closed to traffic during the festival; at the 2026 spring festival there was a free temporary car park at Takumi-ga-oka with a free shuttle bus to the Takayama Civic Cultural Hall.

There are no viewing seats, and the official pages list no viewing fee. The karakuri shows and the night parade are watched standing, the organisers may close off viewing areas when they get too crowded, and bicycles and kick scooters are no use in the crowds. For the autumn festival the organisers warn about heatstroke while standing for the karakuri, and the spring night parade happens in the cold after dark. The daytime float displays can be seen while walking along the street, without holding one spot for long.

Where to stay: in or within walking distance of the old town, so you don't have to rush for a train after the night parade. Rooms for the two festival days are in high demand, so book once your dates are fixed.

By day: the float displays start at 9:30 in spring and 9:00 in autumn. At the 2026 spring festival the karakuri shows ran at 10:00 and 14:00 on both days, about 50 minutes each.

At night: the yoi-matsuri is on the first night only. If you stay in the old town, you can go back to your room for a warmer layer after the daytime displays and head out again.

The floats are best seen up close while they are parked on display, when you can walk round the carvings and metal fittings on the black-and-gold bodies. In spring they line up along Shinmeicho-dori and nearby streets, and in autumn along the approach to Sakurayama Hachimangu and in its grounds.

Some floats carry karakuri puppets worked with strings. There are two karakuri shows a day: about 20 minutes each at the 2026 autumn festival and about 50 minutes in spring.

The yoi-matsuri is held on the first night of each festival only: 14 April in spring and 9 October in autumn. Each float is hung with about a hundred lanterns and paraded through the old town.

The official viewing rules: stay off the roadway while the floats pass, and don't cross or follow the procession.

Crowds: the parades are concentrated in the old town's narrow streets, and the organisers may restrict access to viewing areas when they get too crowded.

Weather: in rain the events are scaled back or cancelled and not rescheduled. April nights in Takayama are still cold, so bring a warm jacket if you plan to stay for the yoi-matsuri.

Etiquette: the floats are Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties, so don't touch them. Drones are banned during the festival, smoking on the street is banned in the old town, and you should follow the security staff's directions.

Takayama's old town keeps rows of Edo-era wooden townhouses, and the floats pass right between them. The Sanmachi old streets and the Miyagawa morning market are both within walking distance.