The 64th Ani Fireworks and Floating Lanterns

Summary

The 64th Ani Fireworks and Floating Lanterns take place at Ani River Riverside Park in Kitaakita City, Akita, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. A bon-season memorial rite, the event first floats about 1,000 picture lanterns on the clear Ani River from 18:30, then fills the sky with roughly 3,000 shells for 90 minutes from 19:15, before a crowd of about 5,000. The venue is only two minutes on foot from Aniai Station on the Akita Nairiku Line, and from 17:00 some 500 free parking spaces open at public facilities around the station.

Overview

Continued as a memorial rite for the bon season at the riverside park on the Ani River, this event runs lantern floating and fireworks as one continuous flow. From 18:30, about 1,000 picture lanterns drift down the clear stream, holding the water in a quiet hour of wavering light — and as dusk slides into night, anticipation for the fireworks rises naturally. From 19:15, about 3,000 shells bloom over the mountain-valley sky across an hour and a half. The switch from the afterglow of the quiet lantern ceremony to the dynamic display is what makes this event its own. The venue is two minutes on foot from Aniai Station on the Akita Nairiku Line, which makes arriving by train easy. Drivers take about 40 minutes via the Kumagera Echo Line from the Gojome-Hachirogata IC on the Akita Expressway; from 17:00, 500 free spaces open at public facilities around the station.

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