Wajima Grand Festival
輪島大祭
Usually August 22–25, four consecutive nights (2026 details TBC)
The Wajima Grand Festival strings together the annual festivals of four shrines in the lacquerware town of Wajima, one per night from August 22 to 25. Each night has its own character. Wajima was hit hard by the 2024 earthquake and later floods, and recent editions have been scaled down — check the latest status before planning a visit.
Overview
| Date | Usually August 22–25, four consecutive nights (2026 details TBC) |
|---|---|
| Venue | 輪島市中心部の4地区（奥津比咩神社・重蔵神社・住吉神社・輪島前神社） |
| Access | About 2 hours by car from Kanazawa via the Noto Satoyama Kaido. |
You may also like
Foodpia Kanazawa
Throughout February
Kanazawa's month-long winter food festival since 1985 — reservation-based dining events in ryotei restaurants, machiya townhouses, and hotels across the city.
Gongan Shinji (Bamboo-Splitting Festival)
February 10 every year, around 11:00–noon
A 1,300-year-old rite in Kaga — young men in white smash hundreds of green bamboo poles on the shrine's stone steps, then hurl a great serpent-rope into the river.
Kenrokuen & Kanazawa Castle Light-up "Shiki Monogatari"
Winter editions on February Saturdays; also held each season (check dates)
Free evening light-ups of Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle each season — the winter edition, with snow-hung ropes over the pines, is Kanazawa at its most iconic.
Dates and details may change. For the Japanese page with full local tips, see the Japanese version.