Ōmagari Hanabi — National Fireworks Competition

photo by 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by KANSEI · CC BY-SA 4.0

750,000 spectators, 18,000 fireworks, 28 companies: the Prime Minister's Prize since 1910.

On the embankment of the Yomogigawa River, twenty-eight fireworks companies selected from all over Japan compete over one afternoon and one evening for the most coveted award in the industry, the Prime Minister's Prize, awarded since 2000. Eighteen thousand fireworks alternate between the daytime competition (the only one in all of Japan), ten-inch shells and ‘creative fireworks’ (創造花火), the category born right here in 1964 and now imitated by every other fireworks competition in the country. Up to 750,000 spectators sit on the free section of the embankment or pay for a numbered seat.

It began in 1910 as entertainment for the festival of Suwa Shrine, under the name Ōu Six Prefectures Fireworks Conference (奥羽六県煙火共進会); it was renamed National Fireworks Competition in 1915, and it has over a hundred years of unbroken history and five ministerial awards, the highest number among the roughly fifteen fireworks competitions in Japan.

ℹ️ Held every year on the last Saturday of August (in 2026: 29 August); daytime fireworks 17:10–18:00, evening fireworks 19:00–21:30, area open from 15:00. Admission to the embankment is free; numbered seats are paid for and must be booked. From JR Ōmagari Station: about 2 km, 30 minutes on foot, with extra trains on the days of the event. Extensive traffic restrictions, and car parks by booking only; park & ride from the outlying areas is recommended, because the nearby car parks can stay blocked until midnight.

🚉 Omagari · 28 min walk

Sources: omagari-hanabi.com · omagari-hanabi.com · omagari-hanabi.com · ja.wikipedia.org

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