71st Asashina Summer Grand Fireworks Festival: A regular Saku City event where powerful fireworks color the summer
The Asaka Noryo Grand Fireworks take place on August 14 at the Asaka general sports ground in Saku, Nagano, with about 2,000 shells from 7:30 pm. The daytime Asaka Dondon Festival adds fish-catching, bon dancing and Nakasendo drumming; in stormy weather the fireworks alone move to August 21.
The afternoon program gives the event a festival feel before the evening show. Parking is free for 300 cars, though with about 30,000 visitors expected, arriving early or taking a taxi from Sakudaira Station (about 10 minutes) is the safer plan. If the weather turns, the daytime events are cancelled and only the fireworks shift to August 21.