Chichibu Night Festival - UNESCO World Heritage Winter Matsuri

The Chichibu Night Festival is the annual grand festival of Chichibu Shrine, held every December 2nd and 3rd, boasting over 300 years of history as one of the Kanto region's premier winter festivals. In 2016, it was inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, making it a representative traditional event of Saitama Prefecture that attracts attention from both domestic and international visitors. The festival's greatest highlight is the magnificent sight of six gorgeously decorated floats (2 kasaboko and 4 yatai) parading through the city streets on midwinter nights. These floats, weighing between 10 to 20 tons each, are lavishly decorated and create breathtaking beauty as they emerge from the darkness. The yatai floats feature additional stages called haridashi-butai on both sides, where traditional yatai kabuki performances are staged. Beyond just the floats themselves, visitors should also pay attention to the traditional performing arts showcased on them. The festival reaches its climax on the night of December 3rd. The floats are hauled up the steep slope called Dango-zaka, creating an incredibly powerful and thrilling spectacle that becomes the festival's most exciting highlight amid cheers and excitement. The collaboration between approximately 5,000 fireworks launched into the clear winter night sky and the festival floats creates a fantastical scene that is rare throughout Japan. The Chichibu Night Festival, which attracts 200,000 to 300,000 visitors annually, is a grand winter spectacle filled with excitement and emotion that makes you forget the cold. Be sure to dress warmly and enjoy this festival ceremony that has continued for over 300 years as one of the Kanto region's most significant festivals.