The 67th Itabashi Fireworks Festival (いたばし花火大会) runs from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 1, 2026, on the banks of the Arakawa River in northern Tokyo.
One thing has changed this year, and it matters: the free viewing area is in a different place. If you go where it was last year, you will arrive at a paid section.
There is a second catch. After 5:00 p.m. on August 1, the riverside road is closed to anyone without a paid ticket. If you plan to watch for free, you'll want to be past that stretch before then.
The basics for August 1, 2026
Event | 67th Itabashi Fireworks Festival |
|---|---|
Date | Saturday, August 1, 2026 |
Launch time | 7:00–8:30 p.m. |
Gates open | 5:00 p.m. for unreserved paid seating |
Venue | Arakawa riverbank, Itabashi Ward, Tokyo (upstream of Todabashi Bridge, left bank) |
Organizers | Itabashi City and the Itabashi Tourism Association |
Bad weather | Cancelled. There is no rain date |
The official site advertises "about 15,000 shells," but that figure is the combined total with the Todabashi Fireworks Festival across the river. Itabashi has not published a count of its own.
What changed in 2026: free area moved upstream
Citing crowd control and safety, Itabashi City moved the general admission (free) area from the downstream side to the upstream end of the venue for 2026. The change is spelled out on the official "what's new in 2026" page.
According to the ward, free viewing is limited to one section at the upstream end of the venue. The official guidance is simple: use Toei Mita Line Takashimadaira Station (高島平駅), about a 20-minute walk.
The downstream ground that used to be free — the hardball and softball diamonds, plus areas 14 through 17 — is now unreserved paid seating at ¥2,000. The nearest station for that section is Hasune.
Two different "baseball fields"
The word "baseball field" appears on the official site for both ends of the venue. The upstream field is the free area. The downstream hardball and softball diamonds are paid seating.
If you remember "head for the baseball field and watch for free," you will end up in a paid section. Go by station name instead: Takashimadaira for free, Hasune for paid unreserved.
Riverside road: no entry without a ticket after 5 p.m.
The venue guide states that from 5:00 p.m. on August 1, anyone without a paid ticket can no longer use the riverside ward road (土手下区道, dote-shita kudo) that runs along the levee.
The official advice is to either get through before 5:00 p.m. or, as they put it, loop well around on the surface streets away from the river.
So 5:00 p.m. is not a hard cutoff — you can still get there afterward. But the detour is a long way around, so give yourself time.
The free area also stops admitting people once it fills up.
You can start saving a spot in the free area on the morning of August 1, not before. Anything laid down earlier gets removed, and you won't get it back.
Itabashi City also bans viewing and spot-saving outside the designated areas. The top of the levee, the mid-level path, stairs and ramps are all thoroughfares and are off-limits for viewing, and sheets left on footbridges or roadways are removed immediately with no return. That is why you will not find a list of "secret spots" in this article.
The other show across the river: Todabashi, same 7 p.m. start
Directly opposite, in Toda City, Saitama Prefecture, the 73rd Todabashi Fireworks Festival runs at the same time on the same evening. Two festivals, one stretch of sky, launched separately.
They are entirely separate events that happen to have similar names. Different organizers, different ticket agencies, different stations. An Itabashi ticket does not admit you to the Toda side.
On top of that, the pedestrian walkway on Todabashi Bridge, which links the two banks, becomes one-way from 5:00 p.m. on August 1. Switching banks after you arrive is not realistic.
When you buy a ticket, check which festival is printed on it. Search results put the two names side by side.
Paid seating and prices
Tickets are sold through Ticket Pia. General sales opened at 10:00 a.m. on June 13, 2026.
Unreserved paid seat | ¥2,000 |
A seat | ¥4,500 |
S seat | ¥5,000 |
Athletic field chair seat | ¥5,500 |
Prime seat | ¥6,000 |
Box seat | ¥18,000 (set of 4) |
Athletic field round table | ¥32,000 (set of 4) |
There are also several group seats running ¥36,000-¥48,000.
As of July 20 there were no sold-out notices on the official site, though the unreserved paid seats are listed as available "until capacity is reached." The site says nothing about day-of tickets.
Paper tickets only - phone screens not accepted
The official site is explicit: "You cannot enter paid seating by showing your phone screen. Please bring one paper ticket per person." A confirmation email or a My Page screen will not get you in.
For the ¥2,000 unreserved seats, tickets can only be collected at 7-Eleven — the site notes that FamilyMart cannot issue them. You collect them from the multi-copy machine in the store, and there is a separate ¥165 issuing fee per ticket for this seat type.
The whole system assumes you pick the ticket up in Japan. Collecting after you arrive is fine, but sort it out early rather than on the day. There is no foreign-language purchasing guide, and the language toggle on the official site is machine translation.
Stations by seating area
Free viewing area | 20 min walk from Takashimadaira Station (Toei Mita Line) |
Unreserved paid seating | 20 min walk from Hasune Station (Toei Mita Line) |
Athletic field / Prime / S / A seats | 20 min walk from Nishidai Station (Toei Mita Line) |
Watch out for Ukimafunado Station (浮間舟渡) on the JR Saikyo Line. It looks close on a map, but the official site warns that "crowds surge and the concourse and platforms become dangerously packed," and asks people to use the Toei Mita Line stations instead. Don't just follow your transit app.
There is no parking and no bicycle parking. Kokusai Kogyo buses run from Narimasu and Tobu-Nerima on the Tobu Tojo Line, with extra services on the day, but several bus stops near the venue suspend service from 5:00 p.m. on August 1.
Roads around the venue are closed to vehicles from 5:00 p.m. until around 10:00 p.m. Expect the trip home to take a while.
Food stalls inside the venue on August 1
On August 1 there are kiosks and food trucks at several points inside the venue, opening around 4:00 p.m. according to the organizers. You are also allowed to bring your own food and drink. The organizers note that patchy signal can knock out electronic payments, so carry cash.
Neither the organizers nor the police say anything about stalls on the streets outside the venue on August 1.
Cancellation and refunds
Heavy weather means cancellation, with no rain date. Itabashi City's guidance is that light rain is fine and severe weather cancels. The call is announced at 10:00 a.m. on August 1 on the official site and social media.
Refunds are not given for any reason except cancellation of the festival itself.
Umbrellas are discouraged in wet weather. Bring a rain poncho instead.
Rules at the venue
- Drones, including toy drones, are banned — this extends to the traffic-restricted zone on August 1
- Pets are not allowed in reserved or unreserved paid seating. The free area allows them with conditions attached, though organizers discourage it
- The venue is entirely non-smoking, e-cigarettes included
- Tripods and selfie sticks are permitted, but you may be asked to stop if you block a walkway or someone's view
Before you leave: the short version
If you came last year, forget the layout. The free area has moved, its old ground is now paid, and the word "baseball field" points to two different places.
There is not much to settle, though. Takashimadaira for free, Hasune for unreserved paid, Nishidai for reserved. Collect your paper ticket at a 7-Eleven ahead of time.
Then leave early enough to be past the riverside road by 5:00 p.m.
For the festival on the opposite bank, see Todabashi Fireworks 2026: A 40–60 Minute Walk to the West Site, Gates at 4 p.m.
To compare dates across the summer, see Tokyo Fireworks Festivals 2026 and Tokyo Summer Events Calendar 2026. If you want to wear a yukata, see Yukata Guide 2026.
Official site: 公式サイトでは大会プログラム・会場マップ・観覧ガイド・交通アクセスなど最新情報を掲載しています。2026年のいたばし花火大会は、2026年8月1日(土) 開催予定です。
いたばし花火2026
This article was translated from the original Japanese with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. The Japanese version is authoritative.
