Shi 2 Fireworks
花火大会
Shi 2 Fireworks is a fireworks festival held in 東北. Date: A Saturday in late July (2026: 25 July). Total shells: about 約8,000. Attendance: 約18万人. No. 48回（48th edition）
Event essentials
Headline stats
- Total Shells
- 約8,000
- Duration
- 60 min
- Nights
- 1 night(s)
- Attendance
- 約18万人
- Largest Shell
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Founding Year
- 1979 (Showa 54, 1st edition)
Signature Sequences
- 01A riverside display on the Shobu-gaoka riverbed at the confluence of the Abukuma and Matsu rivers
- 02Music fireworks sponsored by JRA Fukushima Racecourse, synchronised with the music
- 03Message fireworks for individuals and companies (first 20 applicants, with a replica shell and an invitation)
- 04Stand seating at Shobu-gaoka Stadium and premium seating on the Shobu-gaoka green
- 05Carried on for half a century as the face of Fukushima City's summer festival season
Venue & Access
- Time Window
- 19:30-20:30 (about 60 minutes)
- Venue
- Shobu-gaoka Ryokuchi, the riverbed at the Abukuma/Matsu confluence, and Shobu-gaoka Stadium
- Address
- Shobu-gaoka Ryokuchi, 175 Matsuyama-cho, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture (the riverbed at the confluence of the Abukuma and Matsu rivers)
- Venue Size
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Venue Floor Type
- Riverbed (sand and grass at the Abukuma-Matsu confluence) plus stadium stands
- Gates Open
- The paid seating opens at 17:30.
- Paid-Seat Holder Entry
- 17:30 開場 / 交通規制 17:00-22:00 / 駐車場 17:30-21:30
- Spectator Capacity
- About 180,000 (typical attendance; the riverbank is neither ticketed nor capacity-limited)
- Production Company
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Sponsor
- Organiser: the Fukushima Fireworks Festival executive committee, with its office inside Fukushima City's commercial and tourism division (024-525-3720). Sponsors: the Japan Racing Association (special sponsor via JRA Fukushima Racecourse) and Toyohashi City, Aichi (tezutsu fireworks), plus many corporate sponsors. Operations: the city's commercial and industrial promotion division.
Access
From major cities
- From Tokyo
- About 15 min from the East Exit of JR Fukushima Station on the paid temporary shuttle bus (every 5 min from 16:00 to 19:00, return buses from Shobu-gaoka between 20:00 and 21:30). Fukushima Station is the terminus of the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Tohoku Main Line.
- From Osaka
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- From Sendai
- About 20 min from the Fukushima-Nishi IC on the Tohoku Expressway. A road closure runs around the venue from 17:00 to 22:00.
- Nearest Station
- JR Fukushima Station - about 15 min by the paid temporary shuttle bus or about 10 min by taxi from the East Exit
- Nearest Shinkansen
- JR Fukushima Station (Tohoku Shinkansen and Tohoku Main Line)
- Local Transit
- Paid temporary shuttle bus from the East Exit of JR Fukushima Station (every 5 min) and taxis (about 10 min).
- Parking
- About 1,550 cars, free (2026: about 750 at the Fukushima Racecourse car parks, about 750 at Abukuma Shinsui Park, about 50 at the Hokushin branch office and study centre)
- Parking Reservation
- No reservation. The car parks open only from 17:30 to 21:30, the second Fukushima Racecourse car park was out of use in 2026, and parking anywhere else is discouraged.
- Lodging Strategy
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- English Access
- The official Fukushima City page carries a translation widget with English and seven other languages. Tickets are sold through the CN Play Guide website and by telephone. On-site signage is Japanese-first.
- Cash Required
- The shuttle bus is cash only: adults 1,200 yen and children 600 yen each way, or adults 800 yen and children 400 yen for the return leg alone.
- Best Arrival
- 17:00-18:30, just after the road closures start and the car parks open; by 19:00 the shuttle and the car parks are full.
- Peak Crowd
- On arrival from 17:30 to 19:00 and during the 19:30-20:30 show.
Tickets
- Seat Type
- Chairs (S), tiered benches (A), assigned block seating and stands (B)
- Price Range
- 500円〜12,000円（税込・2026年）
- 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
- Official web sales and telephone orders through the CN Play Guide (0570-08-9999, 10:00-18:00, all year) plus direct purchase from the multi-function printers inside Seven-Eleven and FamilyMart.
- Day-Of Ticket
- Tickets went on sale at 12:00 on 1 June 2026 and stay available until 19:30 on the day; telephone orders close at 18:00 on 21 July.
Weather Policy
- Rain
- Held in rain; the programme may be changed or cancelled in stormy weather or when the river rises.
- Decision Time
- The go/no-go status can be checked from 10:00 on the day via the recorded announcement, and any change or cancellation is decided on the day itself.
- Postponement
- Cancelled in stormy weather or if the river rises. The official city pages for 2025 and 2026 both state that there is no reserve day and no postponement.
- Wind Threshold
- In stormy weather or when water levels rise the event may be changed or cancelled, and there is no reserve day (stated on the official page). No numeric wind-speed threshold is given.
- Typical Risks
- Late July falls between the end of the rainy season and midsummer, so heat and heat stroke are the biggest risk, which is why the organisers publish heat-stroke advice. Stormy weather or a rising river cancels the event, and there is no reserve day or postponement.
- Weather Cancellation History
- The only cancellations on record are 2020 and 2021, both caused by COVID-19 rather than weather; no weather cancellation could be confirmed as of October 2026.