Kukinoumi Fireworks Festival
花火祭典
Kukinoumi Fireworks Festival is a fireworks festival held in Kyushu. Date: 24 October 2026 (Sat), 19:00-19:40. The festival moved to an autumn date from 25 October 2025; it used to be held from 20:00 on the Friday around 20 July.. Total shells: about 4,500. Attendance: 30万人. No. 41
Event essentials
Headline stats
- Total Shells
- 4,500
- Duration
- 40 min
- Nights
- 1 night(s)
- Attendance
- 30万人
- Largest Shell
- Large 8-sun shells (per the Fukuoka tourism pages; the fireworks database describes 7-sun shells)
- Founding Year
- 1986
Signature Sequences
- 01Marine fireworks fired from a barge on Dokai Bay
- 02Music fireworks set to jazz, the jazz-led town revitalisation image of Wakamatsu
- 03The 'tokusen' fireworks made by fireworks masters from all over Japan
- 04The bamboo lanterns made by local primary school children and lit beside the bay
Venue & Access
- Time Window
- 19:00-19:40 (about 40 minutes)
- Venue
- Dokai Bay, around the Wakato Bridge
- Address
- Venue: Dokai Bay around the Wakato Bridge, between Wakamatsu ward and Tobata ward, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka. Office: Wakamatsu Ward Office, 1-1-1 Hamamachi, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka 808-8510 33.898405°N, 130.810964°E
- Venue Size
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Venue Floor Type
- A marine venue (a single barge on Dokai Bay) with outdoor roadside viewing space on both banks
- Gates Open
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Paid-Seat Holder Entry
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Spectator Capacity
- About 300,000 (typical attendance)
- Production Company
- The fireworks producer for 2026 is not named in the sources checked; the programme includes 'tokusen' fireworks made by fireworks masters from across Japan
- Sponsor
- Kukinoumi Fireworks Festival executive committee office (inside the Wakamatsu Ward Office General Planning Division), tel. 093-771-3559 (weekdays)
Access
Venue map
View on Google MapsFrom major cities
- From Tokyo
- Take the JR Sanyo or Tokaido Line to JR Kokura Station, then the JR Kagoshima Main Line to Tobata or Wakamatsu Station and 3-5 min on foot to the venue
- From Osaka
- Take the JR Sanyo Line from Shin-Osaka to JR Kokura Station, then the JR Kagoshima Main Line to Tobata or Wakamatsu Station and 3-5 min on foot to the venue
- From Sendai
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Nearest Station
- JR Wakamatsu Station (3 min walk) and JR Tobata Station (5 min walk)
- Nearest Shinkansen
- JR Kokura Station (Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen), then the JR Kagoshima Main Line to Tobata or Wakamatsu
- Local Transit
- The nearest stations are JR Wakamatsu and JR Tobata. The city publishes the event-day operating information for the municipal buses, the JR Wakamatsu Line and the Wakato ferry as a PDF.
- Parking
- There is no parking at the venue; the organiser asks visitors not to come by private car and walking from JR Wakamatsu or JR Tobata Station is the recommended way in
- Parking Reservation
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Lodging Strategy
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- English Access
- No foreigner-facing guidance or translation is listed in the sources checked. With no parking and traffic restrictions in force, visitors have to rely on public transport and should check the ground conditions
- Cash Required
- The sources do not state how payment is made at the site. The Kukinoumi no Hama and the Tobata areas are individually sponsored paid zones
- Best Arrival
- Arrive before 17:00. The traffic restrictions around the venue start at 17:00 and there is no parking at the venue.
- Peak Crowd
- The 19:00-19:40 firing window and the dusk hour just before it.
Tickets
- Seat Type
- Individually sponsored paid viewing areas (the Kukinoumi no Hama area and the Tobata area)
- Price Range
- The Kukinoumi no Hama and the Tobata areas are paid sponsor zones. No prices are listed in the sources checked
- Seat Count
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass) seats
- Sellout History
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Reservation
- No reservation method is described in the sources checked; the organiser refers to the official page
- Day-Of Ticket
- No mention of day-of tickets in the sources checked
Weather Policy
- Rain
- Held in light rain; cancelled in stormy weather
- Decision Time
- The go/no-go decision is announced by 13:00 on the day.
- Postponement
- Cancelled in stormy weather. No postponement date is set; the decision is announced by 13:00 on the day
- Wind Threshold
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Typical Risks
- There is no postponement option in stormy weather, so the decision is announced at 13:00 on the day. Early October in Kitakyushu is usually dry.
- Weather Cancellation History
- The bad-weather rule for 2026 is stated as cancellation with no postponement. No past cancellation record appears in the sources checked.