Omagari Hanabi – National Fireworks Competition
全国花火競技大会
Omagari Hanabi – National Fireworks Competition is a fireworks festival held in Akita Prefecture. Date: 29 August 2026 (Sat) - always the last Saturday of August. Total shells: about 約18,000. Attendance: 約60〜70万人. No. 98回
Event essentials
Headline stats
- Total Shells
- 約18,000
- Duration
- 240 min
- Nights
- 1 night(s)
- Attendance
- 約60〜70万人
- Largest Shell
- 10-shaku shell (10号玉)
- Founding Year
- 1910 (Meiji 43)
Signature Sequences
- 01'Opening of the evening show: the 700-metre Niagara starmine'
- 02'10-shaku-dama category: the set piece and the free shell'
- 03'Creative fireworks category: theme-based creative fireworks within 2 minutes 30 seconds'
- 04'The competition show: a wide starmine fired to music over about 5 to 7 minutes'
- 05'Finale: rapid-fire barrage, synchronised tiger tails and a simultaneous silver and brocade crown'
- 06'The cheer: the audience waves lights to thank the fireworks masters after the firing'
- 07The only fireworks competition in Japan with a daytime category
- 08The 900-metre wide starmine competition show
- 09The 700-metre Niagara starmine that opens the evening show
- 10All 28 selected firms take part in all three categories
- 11The cheer between the audience and the fireworks masters after the firing
- 12No reflected sound from the hills on the far bank and no light pollution
Venue & Access
- Time Window
- 17:10-18:00 (daytime competition), 19:00-21:30 (evening competition). Total firing time about 240 minutes
- Venue
- Omagari, Omono River riverbed, Daisen City (「大曲の花火」公園)
- Address
- Omagari, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture - Omono River sports park riverbed (「大曲の花火」公園)
- Venue Size
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Venue Floor Type
- Riverbed - the Omono River sports park riverbed, an open outdoor site
- 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 600,000 to 700,000 people. The Akita tourism statistics record 750,000 in 2019 and 2018, 740,000 in 2016 and 2017 and 600,000 in 2022. The organisers and Daisen City do not publish an official figure
- Production Company
- 28 firms selected from across Japan take part, and all of them must enter all three categories. Four fireworks companies based in Daisen - Hokunichi Hanabi Kogyo, Komatsu Hanabi Kogyo, Hibikiya Omagari Hanabi and Wakabiya - jointly build the wide starmine "competition show" over a full year
- Sponsor
- Organisers - Omagari Chamber of Commerce and Daisen City. Operation - National Fireworks Competition Executive Committee. Supporters - Japan Fireworks Association, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and others. Sponsors - NHK Akita Broadcasting, FM Akita and others
Access
From major cities
- From Tokyo
- JR Akita Shinkansen (Komachi) runs direct from Tokyo to Omagari Station. The Akita Shinkansen runs through to Tokyo and Omagari is one of its terminus stations. Extra trains are also operated from Sendai, Morioka and Akita
- From Osaka
- JR Tohoku Shinkansen from Osaka to Sendai, then change to the JR Akita Shinkansen for Omagari Station. Extra trains (Komachi) run on the Akita Shinkansen and the Tohoku Shinkansen
- From Sendai
- JR Akita Shinkansen (Komachi) runs direct from Sendai to Omagari Station. Extra trains from Sendai, Morioka and Akita are operated on festival day
- Nearest Station
- JR Omagari Station (Akita Shinkansen / Ou Main Line / Lake Tazawa Line) - 30 min walk to the venue
- Nearest Shinkansen
- JR Omagari Station (Akita Shinkansen) - direct from Sendai, Morioka and Akita
- Local Transit
- Extra trains run on the Akita Shinkansen, the Ou Main Line and the Lake Tazawa Line (until around 24:00). On the way home, directional temporary ticket gates are used at Omagari Station (for the Shinjō direction, the Akita direction, the Lake Tazawa Line and the Shinkansen). Hago bus services are suspended except for the morning departures and passages at the Omagari bus terminal
- Parking
- About 1,900 spaces (some charged) plus free car parks. Enquiries about parking: Daisen City Fireworks Industry Promotion Division, 0187-73-7931. Roads near the venue are closed to vehicles from around 11:30 until after 23:30
- Parking Reservation
- No advance booking; parking is used on the day. In 2008 the city restricted camping inside the park because of noise complaints with nearby residents and switched to a raffle-ticket system
- Lodging Strategy
- The closest gateway is JR Omagari Station, where the Akita Shinkansen stops. The Omagari district of Daisen City has a population under 40,000 yet some 700,000 people descend on it, so the area is very crowded. Using accommodation in Akita or Yokote and travelling between Omagari Station and Akita Station is realistic
- English Access
- The Akita Shinkansen runs direct from Tokyo and the official site has an English version. Multilingual guidance for foreign visitors is not recorded in the sources checked
- Cash Required
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Best Arrival
- If you drive, the roads near the venue are closed to vehicles from around 11:30 until after 23:30, so arrive before 11:30. Free viewing areas are signposted at each gate with boards showing apple, banana, melon and mandarin oranges
- Peak Crowd
- About 700,000 people pour into the Omagari district of Daisen City, whose population is under 40,000, so heavy crowding is normal. Roads near the venue and the car parks are closed to vehicles from around 11:30 until after 23:30
Tickets
- Seat Type
- Table seat (table)
- Embankment seat (box)
- Cameraman seat (camera)
- Bench seat (bench)
- Chair seat (chair)
- Leisure sheet seat (mat)
- Price Range
- 8,000 yen (chair seat) to 70,000 yen (platinum pair seat). Since the 91st edition in 2017 even free-area viewers pay a 1,000 yen environment maintenance cooperation fee (high school students and under are free)
- Seat Count
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass) seats
- Sellout History
- Paid viewing seats usually sell out immediately after sales open, with people queuing through the night. In 2018 (the 92nd edition) the lottery was replaced by first-come first-served sales, so the tickets took some time to sell out
- Reservation
- Internet advance sales are the main channel. Resale of tickets on the web is prohibited
- Day-Of Ticket
- no - tickets are sold mainly in advance online and at the box office; since 2017 elementary school pupils and above need a ticket (those below may enter only accompanied by a parent)
Weather Policy
- Rain
- The show goes ahead in the rain. Because it runs in any weather, raincoats, long boots and similar preparation are needed if you want to watch in the rain
- Decision Time
- Stormy-weather handling is described on the official site. Postponement is very rare and happens only when a typhoon or other natural disaster raises the level of the Omono River so that the launch site or the viewing area cannot be secured; in that case the show was held on a weekday of the following week
- Postponement
- For stormy weather see the official site. In the past the show was postponed only when a typhoon or other natural disaster caused the Omono River to rise and the launch site or viewing area could not be secured; it was then held on a weekday of the following week
- Wind Threshold
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Typical Risks
- Late August in Akita. The show falls in the period when most schools have finished their summer holidays, so it is cool at night but there have been some extreme heatwave years. Risk of an approaching typhoon and of heavy rain raising the Omono River
- Weather Cancellation History
- 2020: Postponed by one year because of COVID-19,2021: Cancelled because of COVID-19,Past years: Postponed only when a typhoon or other natural disaster raised the Omono River so that the launch site or the viewing area could not be secured; the show was then held on a weekday of the following week