MajorHoliday-tied

Katakai Festival Grand Fireworks

片貝まつり大花火大会

Katakai Festival Grand Fireworks is a fireworks festival held in 新潟県 (Niigata Prefecture). Date: 2nd Friday + next-day Saturday of September. Total shells: about 15000. Attendance: 約20万人（例年 — 公式委員会／周辺観光資料）. No. Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-21 pass)

Event essentials

Headline stats

Total Shells
15000
Duration
~170 (across 2 nights) min
Nights
2 night(s)
Attendance
約20万人（例年 — 公式委員会／周辺観光資料）
Largest Shell
正四尺玉 (Sei-Yonshakudama) — 120cm / 420kg / 800m blast / 800m launch altitude
Founding Year
1891

Signature Sequences

Venue & Access

Time Window
19:30–22:20 JST (launch; ~170 min across 2 nights)
Venue
Asahara Shrine (浅原神社) grounds + adjacent fields (通称：十三畑 / 二つ坂の下)
Address
Katakai-cho, Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture (小千谷市片貝町) 37.369775°N, 138.775006°E
Venue Size
~1 km basin launch zone (mountain plateau)
Venue Floor Type
Field (mountain plateau, grass + dirt paths)
Gates Open
13:00 (venue open) for paid seats; 09:00 (Asahara Shrine) for day-of ticket sales
Paid-Seat Holder Entry
13:00（桟敷席開場）
Spectator Capacity
~200,000 across 2 nights (estimated; not officially enumerated in Wikipedia — ⚠️ nuance claim)
Launch Company
Multiple local pyrotechnicians (community-funded model; specific firms not centrally contracted)
Production Company
片貝町内の複数の花火師 (Multiple Katakai-cho pyrotechnicians; community-funded model)
Sponsor
片貝町煙火協会 (Katakai Fireworks Association),浅原神社 (Asahara Shrine),小千谷市 (Ojiya City)

Access

Venue map

View on Google Maps

From major cities

From Tokyo
~2h via Jōetsu Shinkansen Tokyo → Nagaoka (90 min) → JR Uetsu Main Line → Ojiya (15 min) → festival bus to Katakai (~30 min)
From Osaka
Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-21 pass)
From Sendai
Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-21 pass)
Nearest Station
Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-21 pass)
Nearest Shinkansen
Nagaoka Station (Jōetsu Shinkansen) — NOT Ojiya
Local Transit
Festival shuttle buses: Nagaoka Station → Katakai (30 min) or Ojiya Station → Katakai (~20 min)
Parking
1,000+ car lots (free + paid)
Parking Reservation
Not required for free lots; advance reservation for some premium lots
Lodging Strategy
Ojiya city hotels are limited; standard fallback = Nagaoka (~30 min by bus); local onsen districts are alternatives. Sells out for this festival.
English Access
Limited — paid box seats require Japanese-language reservation; day-of individual tickets (¥5,500) sold from 09:00 at Asahara Shrine
Cash Required
true
Best Arrival
Day-of ticket holders: arrive by 09:00 at Asahara Shrine. Reserved-seat: 1-2 hours before show start
Peak Crowd
Yonshakudama launch ~22:00 on final night (Saturday) — peak crowd in nearby Ojiya basin

Tickets

Weather Policy

Rain
rain-or-shine
Decision Time
Day-of (organizer's discretion)
Postponement
Postponed only for typhoon or wind speed >10 m/s — no recent postponements recorded
Wind Threshold
10 m/s — strong winds may delay or cancel
Typical Risks
Mid-September heat (lingering summer); 二百十日 (Sept 10 = 210th day) is statistically the rainiest day of early autumn
Weather Cancellation History
Wikipedia notes 'recently there have been no postponements'

Sources and verification

Related festivals

Sister Festivals

  • Nagaoka Festival Grand FireworksNagaoka MAJOR/MEGA — River sister 川の長岡
  • Gion Kashiwazaki Festival Sea FireworksKashiwazaki MAJOR — Sea sister 海の柏崎
  • Sumida River FireworksTokyo MEGA — paired river hanabi
  • Tsuchiura All-Japan Fireworks CompetitionIbaraki MAJOR — design hanabi pair
  • Omagari National Fireworks CompetitionAkita MEGA — flagship national 競技
  • Aomori Nebuta FireworksAomori MAJOR — Tōhoku MAJOR pair

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