Wakasa Takahama Fireworks Festival
若狭漁火想
Wakasa Takahama Fireworks Festival is a fireworks festival held in Hokuriku. Date: 1 August 2026 (Sat), 20:00-20:20. The mini fireworks shows run on every Saturday from 18 July to 22 August (five sessions). Total shells: about 約3,500. Attendance: 3万人. No. Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
Event essentials
Headline stats
- Total Shells
- 約3,500
- Duration
- 20 min
- Nights
- 1 night(s)
- Attendance
- 3万人
- Largest Shell
- Shaku-shells, which open the show together with the count-down. The official page does not give a shell size
- Founding Year
- 1985 (the manifest value; the first edition year is not confirmed in the sources checked)
Signature Sequences
- 01About 4 km of sand beach that serves as the seating area
- 02Beach tea houses that keep late hours so visitors can eat and drink while watching
- 033D viewing from the Azumiyama lookout
- 04The mini fireworks show on every Saturday from 18 July
- 05Message fireworks for ten sponsoring organisations
- 06A one-night cruise leaving from Takahama
Venue & Access
- Time Window
- 20:00-20:20 (about 20 minutes)
- Venue
- Wakasa Wada Beach, Shirohama, Toriihama and Shiroyama beaches (the eastern coast of Takahama)
- Address
- Wakasa Wada Beach to Shiroyama Beach, Takahama, Oi district, Fukui (Wakasa Wada, Shirohama, Toriihama and Shiroyama) 35.493137°N, 135.575319°E
- Venue Size
- About 4 km (the coastline across four beaches)
- Venue Floor Type
- An open-air beach venue; the roughly 4 km coastline across four beaches serves as the seating area
- Gates Open
- The official pages do not state a gate opening time. The mini fireworks shows start at 20:00 and run for ten minutes
- Paid-Seat Holder Entry
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Spectator Capacity
- About 30,000 (typical attendance)
- Production Company
- The fireworks producer for 2026 is not named in the sources checked
- Sponsor
- Wakasa Takahama Tourism Association (organiser), tel. 0770-72-0338. The town backs the festival and works with the organiser on safety management
Access
Venue map
View on Google MapsFrom major cities
- From Tokyo
- Take the JR Tokaido Line to JR Tsuruga Station, then the JR Obama Line to Wakasa Wada or Wakasa Takahama Station and 10-15 min on foot to the beach
- From Osaka
- Take the JR Tokaido Line to JR Tsuruga Station, then the JR Obama Line to Wakasa Wada or Wakasa Takahama Station and 10-15 min on foot to the beach
- From Sendai
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Nearest Station
- JR Wakasa Wada Station (10 min walk, Wakasa Wada beach) and JR Wakasa Takahama Station (15 min walk, Shiroyama, Toriihama and Shirohama beaches)
- Nearest Shinkansen
- JR Tsuruga Station on the JR Obama Line, then the JR Obama Line to Wakasa Wada or Wakasa Takahama Station
- Local Transit
- The nearest stations are Wakasa Wada and Wakasa Takahama on the JR Obama Line. Parking is paid
- Parking
- About 1,500 spaces (paid)
- Parking Reservation
- Advance booking is offered through a car park reservation service
- Lodging Strategy
- Takahama has hot spring inns and simple lodgings that fill up around the festival
- English Access
- The venue is a beach within walking distance of the station, with no particular barrier for foreign visitors; the organiser publishes a venue map
- Cash Required
- Parking is paid. Viewing the fireworks itself is free and there are no paid seats
- Best Arrival
- Arrive before 18:00. Parking is paid and limited, and the venues are a 10 min walk from JR Wakasa Wada Station (Wakasa Wada beach) and a 15 min walk from JR Wakasa Takahama Station (Shiroyama, Toriihama and Shirohama beaches)
- Peak Crowd
- Just after the 20:00 start and at dusk, when the beach fills up
Tickets
- Seat Type
- No paid seats
- Price Range
- No paid-seat prices; only the parking is charged
- Seat Count
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass) seats
- Sellout History
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Reservation
- Only the parking can be reserved in advance
- Day-Of Ticket
- No tickets are sold
Weather Policy
- Rain
- Held in light rain; in stormy weather moved to 2 August 2026 and cancelled after that
- Decision Time
- In stormy weather the decision is taken on the day and the show is moved to the following day
- Postponement
- In stormy weather the show is moved to the following day, Sunday 2 August. After that date it is cancelled
- Wind Threshold
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Typical Risks
- The Sea of Japan side in August is exposed to low pressure systems and typhoons. There is a postponement day, and once that day has passed the show is cancelled
- Weather Cancellation History
- The mini fireworks show on 25 July 2026 ended in an accident and the main show was scaled down. No weather cancellation or postponement record appears in the sources checked