What is the Sendai Tanabata Festival?
Tanabata or ‘Star Festivals’ are held across Japan every year, but the Sendai Tanabata is one of the largest and most famous. Each August, the festival celebrates a legend where two stars, Altair and Vega, cross paths.
Elaborate paper and bamboo decorations are put proudly on display throughout the main shopping districts and include long colorful streamers as well as other small, paper decorations such as cranes, which symbolize a long life and nets for a good harvest.
Need to know
The festival opens with a large and vibrant fireworks display on the banks Hirosegawa River that is not to be missed. The festival also includes live music, traditional dance and plenty of delicious food stalls.
Did You Know?
Tanabata is a very ancient tradition. The festival is of Chinese in origin and was introduced to Japan by Empress Kōken in 755. However, it wasn’t until the early Edo Period around 1600 that the festival began to gain traction and was celebrated on a large scale throughout Japan.
For more information on this unmissable event, click on the link we've provided on the left.
Coronavirus is causing a number of event cancellations; we provide event website links on each page for you to check the latest updates.
See our Coronavirus page here.
Never Miss Our
Latest News & Event Updates
We look forward to making your travel more eventful.
