The Kasama Noryo Bon Odori Fireworks Festival Executive Committee and ADACHI HOUSE Co., Ltd. held the "Kasama Noryo Bon Odori Fireworks Festival 2026" over two days, August 8th and 10th, at Kasama Oike Park (in front of Kasama Pore Pore City) in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Held as a two-day event for the first time this year, the festival brought together a combined total of more than 15,000 visitors from in and outside the city. Bon odori dancing, fireworks, music, local food, kitchen cars, and game stalls drew generations from children to older adults to the same venue for two days that celebrated summer in Kasama together.
Turnout Exceeds Expectations, Cementing the Festival's Place as a Summer Highlight
Now in its fifth year since starting in 2022, the Kasama Noryo Bon Odori Fireworks Festival has grown steadily each year.
Amid the loss of local festivals and community gatherings during the pandemic, the event was launched by Yuto Adachi, an artist who serves as いばらき大使・笠間特別観光大使, together with volunteer citizens who wanted to give children lasting summer memories and create a place where people of all generations could gather.
Without relying on government funding, the festival started from zero budget and has continued each year through sponsorships from local residents and companies, vendors, and the efforts of many others.
For its fifth edition in 2026, the festival took on a two-day format for the first time. Organizers had projected attendance of 10,000 to 15,000 people, but the two days combined drew more than 15,000 visitors.
Children, families, students, older residents, and visitors from outside the city and prefecture all gathered at the venue, creating exchanges that crossed generational and regional lines.
From "Watching the Festival" to "Making It Together"
A core value of the festival is giving every visitor a way to take part as more than just a spectator of the stage and fireworks.
At the bon odori dancing held in the center of the venue, a large circle of dancers formed spanning children to adults. More than 300 attendees also joined the filming of the music video for "Jinrui Kara Sawagi Ondo," a song by Yuto Adachi that serves as the festival's theme.
Through music and dance, strangers meeting for the first time were seen smiling together within the same circle.
Local restaurants, kitchen cars, and game stalls also filled the venue, giving visitors a chance to connect with local shops and businesses while enjoying the festival, making it a summer event built by the whole community.
Fireworks Closed Out Both Nights
Each of the two days ended with fireworks lighting up the Kasama night sky.
As many visitors watched, the fireworks illuminated the summer night and the venue filled with cheers and applause.
Children looking up at the night sky, families enjoying the fireworks together, and friends taking photos together — the "summer memories of Kasama" the organizers hoped to create took shape across the venue over the two days.
A Festival Built from Zero, Thanks to Everyone Who Made It Possible
The Kasama Noryo Bon Odori Fireworks Festival is made possible by many local companies and organizations, vendors, performers, volunteers, and everyone who attends.
Five years ago, the summer festival began with nothing. That it has grown into an event drawing more than 15,000 visitors is thanks to the local community carrying forward a shared wish to bring energy to Kasama's summer.
The organizers extended their heartfelt thanks to the sponsoring and supporting companies and organizations, the vendors and performers, the staff and volunteers who supported the event, and everyone who came to the venue.
Executive Committee Chair Yuto Adachi's Comment
Honestly, even hearing that more than 15,000 people came, it still hasn't fully sunk in.
Five years ago, this festival really did start from nothing. No budget. No venue, no team, no sponsors — all of it started at zero.
"I want to leave the children of Kasama with summer memories." That was really all there was at the start.
From there, every year I kept asking people for help, kept making requests, and the team grew. Of course, it didn't always go smoothly. People asked me, "Why go this far?"
Even so, I kept going because I love this town.
And this year, taking on two days for the first time, more than 15,000 people came to the venue.
Looking out from the stage, I saw children running around, grandparents, families, young people — everyone smiling in the same place.
When the bon odori started, so many people really did form a circle and dance.
Seeing that scene, I honestly thought, "I'm glad I kept doing this for five years."
The number 15,000 is of course something to be happy about. But for me, the most rewarding part isn't gathering 15,000 people. It's that each person who came got a summer memory.
If the children who came today remember, 10 or 20 years from now, "the Kasama summer festival was fun," that would make me happiest of all. And if someday they come back to this festival with their own children, that would be even better.
I don't want to build a famous festival. I want to build a festival that stays in Kasama for good.
Fifty years from now, a hundred years from now, even after we're gone, I want bon odori and fireworks to still be a normal part of Kasama's summer, with children's laughter there.
That's the scene I genuinely want to build.
And this festival is absolutely not something I could build alone. The sponsoring companies, the vendors, the performers, the volunteers, the staff, the local community — everyone who moved together from morning to night in the heat, and above all, everyone who came to the venue, made this possible.
Thank you, truly, thank you so much.
We're still only five years in. We still have a long way to go.
Even from Kasama, even from a regional town, we can create scenes like this. When the community pulls together, we can make the town's future more exciting with our own hands. That's what I believe.
Next year, we'll make an even better summer.
See you again in Kasama's summer.
— Yuto Adachi, Executive Committee Chair, Kasama Noryo Bon Odori Fireworks Festival
Event Overview
Event name
Kasama Noryo Bon Odori Fireworks Festival 2026
Dates
August 8 and 10, 2026
Venue
Kasama Oike Park (in front of Kasama Pore Pore City)
Attendance
Combined total of more than 15,000
Admission
Free
Organizer
Kasama Noryo Bon Odori Fireworks Festival Executive Committee
Produced by
ADACHI HOUSE Co., Ltd.
Supported by
Kasama City / Kasama City Board of Education / Kasama Chamber of Commerce and Industry / Kasama Tourism Association / Kasama Junior Chamber International / Kasama Rotary Club / Kasama Lions Club
Official Instagram for the Kasama Noryo Bon Odori Fireworks Festival:
https://www.instagram.com/kasama_noryo_hanabi/
