Chichibu Night Festival Map 2026

It is always on December 2 (eve) and December 3 (main day) — in 2026, Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd. The highlight is the night of the 3rd: the floats leave Chichibu Shrine at 6:00 PM and are hauled up Dango-zaka about 7:30–9:30 PM, with fireworks 7:30–9:55 PM. Times on the map are from the 2025 announcement.

The Otabisho (Chichibu Park) and the Dango-zaka area are closed to spectators about 5:30–10:30 PM on Dec 3 for safety, so you cannot watch from right beside the slope. The floats leave the front of Chichibu Shrine after 6:00 PM and go Honmachi → Nakamachi → Chichibu Local Office (north) → Jusanban → Ohanabatake crossing → Dango-zaka, so watching along that route is the realistic option. Paid seats are set up near City Hall.

They are launched from Hitsujiyama Park, which is off-limits on Dec 2 and 3. You can see them together with the floats from around City Hall and near Seibu-Chichibu Station. Dec 3: 7:30–9:55 PM; Dec 2 (eve): 7:00–8:00 PM.

On Dec 3, 10:00 AM–10:00 PM, the area around Chichibu Shrine, Honmachi and Nakamachi, plus Ohanabatake to City Hall and the Otabisho, is closed to vehicles — cars inside cannot move either. Roads around Hitsujiyama Park close 1:00–10:30 PM, and the road from Seibu-Chichibu Station to the park 7:00–10:00 PM. Stopping and parking are banned across the city.

Temporary car parks P1–P8 open on Dec 3. P1 behind Michi-no-Eki Chichibu, P2 Minami Elementary, P3 Miyaji ground and P4 Nishi Elementary: 7:00 AM–midnight. P5 No. 1 Junior High, P6 Hananoki Elementary, P7 No. 2 Junior High and P8 Kagemori ground: 9:00 AM–midnight. Cars ¥1,000, motorcycles ¥500 (large and medium vehicles at P1 only). Spaces are limited and heavy traffic is expected, so the train is recommended. Parking at shops or on the street is not allowed.

Free shuttles run on Dec 3: P5 No. 1 Junior High ground to Miyagawa Children's Park 10:00 AM–11:00 PM, and P8 Kagemori ground to beside Chichibu Library 1:00–11:00 PM. While the Chichibu Railway is suspended (7:30–10:30 PM), a free bus timed to the trains runs between beside Chichibu Library and Kagemori Station.

From Ikebukuro, the Seibu Laview limited express reaches Seibu-Chichibu in about 80 minutes (all reserved). Ohanabatake Station on the Chichibu Railway is about 5 minutes' walk from Seibu-Chichibu. On Dec 3 the Chichibu Railway does not run between Chichibu and Kagemori 7:30–10:30 PM and Seibu-Chichibu Station is packed after the fireworks, so book your return limited express early. On Dec 3 Seibu runs extra limited expresses from Ikebukuro roughly every 30 minutes from the 11 AM hour, plus extra local trains between Hanno and Seibu-Chichibu. On Dec 2 an extra Musashi No. 58 leaves Seibu-Chichibu at 8:45 PM. Tickets for the extra expresses went on sale on Nov 3, up to 8 per person.

On Dec 3, 9:30 AM–11:00 PM, Chichibu City Hall (festival HQ) has first aid, a lost-children desk and lost property (0494-24-4928, Dec 3 only). Toilets are at Chichibu Shrine, by Seibu-Chichibu Station and at Michi-no-Eki Chichibu, among others (shown on the map).

No. Drone flights and filming are banned in the festival area, along the float routes and at the fireworks site. Flying one at the fireworks site stops the show.

The Chichibu Festival Museum (Dec 2 9:00 AM–8:00 PM, Dec 3 9:00 AM–9:00 PM, adults ¥500) shows the floats and festival footage. The Yomatsuri silk market is held on Kuromon-dori and Kaitsugisho-dori (Dec 2 11:00 AM–7:00 PM, Dec 3 11:00 AM–8:00 PM), and Chichibu float music is performed around town.