Katsushika Fireworks Festival 2026: Access, Seats & Spots
By Atsushi — host at Bon House in Kanamachi, Katsushika ward. I've run Bon House since 2022 and hosted 300+ guest groups.
The 60th Katsushika Fireworks Festival put about 20,000 shells and a 1,300-drone show over the Edogawa on July 28, 2026, and the launch site is a 20-minute walk from Kanamachi Station.
That walk is why I write about this festival every year. Bon House is in Kanamachi, and this is the one big Tokyo fireworks show my guests can reach on foot. The 葛飾納涼花火大会 (Katsushika Noryo Hanabi Taikai) is not a small neighbourhood event: a typical year draws around 700,000 people, against close to a million for Sumida River. What it has over Sumida is distance. The free riverbank sits close enough to the launch site that the ward itself warns the booms are loud.
The 2026 edition is over. This guide keeps what worked in 2026 so you can plan the next one.
Katsushika Fireworks Festival at a Glance
| 2026 edition | |
|---|---|
| Date | Tue, July 28 |
| Time | 19:20–20:30 |
| Venue | Shibamata Baseball Field, Edogawa riverbed |
| Shells | ~20,000 |
| Extra | ~1,300-drone show |
| Crowd | ~700,000 (typical year) |
| Entry | Free; paid seats sold in June |
| Keisei Shibamata | 10 min walk |
| Shin-Shibamata | 15 min walk |
| JR/Keisei Kanamachi | 20 min walk |
| Next edition | Not yet announced |
What Changed for the 60th Katsushika Fireworks
Shibamata neighbourhood associations started launching fireworks on this riverbank in the early 1950s, and the ward became co-organiser in 1980. For the 60th edition the ward raised the count to about 20,000 shells, roughly 5,000 more than the 15,000 of 2025, and added the festival's first drone show, around 1,300 drones.
Expect the extra shells and the drone show to be the exception, not the new normal. A round anniversary gets extra sponsor money. If you are planning for a later year, budget for a show closer to the 2025 size, and treat anything bigger as a bonus.
Getting to the Katsushika Fireworks from Kanamachi
There are three practical routes. I'd pick by where you want to be at 20:30, not where you start.
Walk from Kanamachi Station — 20 minutes
The ward lists both JR and Keisei Kanamachi at about 20 minutes on foot from the venue. From Bon House, add the 7–10 minute walk to the station. The roads are flat, and from late afternoon you will be walking with families in yukata heading the same way.
Best for: Bon House guests, and anyone who wants no platform at either end.
Keisei Kanamachi → Shibamata — one stop, 2–3 minutes
Keisei Kanamachi Station sits next to JR Kanamachi. The Keisei Kanamachi Line runs one stop to Shibamata: 2–3 minutes, ¥146 on an IC card. From Shibamata Station it is about 10 minutes on foot past Taishakuten Sando, the old temple street, to the embankment.
Keisei and JR East gates don't take contactless bank cards, so charge a Suica or PASMO before the day.
Shibamata is the closest station and also the most crowded one, before and after the show. Use it on the way in, when crowds arrive over several hours. Avoid it on the way out.
Best for: arriving early and seeing the Shibamata approach while it is still walkable.
Shin-Shibamata (Hokuso Line) — 15 minutes, the quiet exit
Shin-Shibamata is south of the venue on the Hokuso Line. It is 15 minutes on foot, and the ward's own guide calls it the less crowded station. One stop takes you to Keisei Takasago, where trains run toward Ueno, Asakusa and Narita.
Best for: guests not staying in Kanamachi. Don't use it to get back to Kanamachi by train: the connection runs through Shibamata, the most crowded station.
Paid Seats vs Free Viewing Spots
Paid Reserved Seats
In 2026 the paid area sat on the riverbed directly facing the launch site, in three types: - box seats on vinyl sheets on the flat riverbed - folding pipe chairs on the flat riverbed - box seats on the embankment slope
Tickets were sold through CN Playguide online, by phone and at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, where you also collect them. Katsushika residents got first access in early June. General sales opened in mid-June, and by mid-July the 2026 seats had sold out. Prices change each year and appear on the official ward page when sales open.
If you want a seat, put a mid-June reminder in your calendar. Waiting for July is too late.
Free Areas Behind the Paid Seats
The free viewing areas start right behind the paid seats on the Katsushika side, still close enough to feel the launches. These fill first because they are nearest to Shibamata Station. To get a spot here with a clear view, I'd be on the embankment by 17:00.
Toward Shin-Shibamata — More Space, Farther Back
The riverbank toward Shin-Shibamata is farther from the launch site but less crowded, which suits a free spot on a mat. You lose some of the low shells behind the crowd ahead. The big ones still fill the sky, and leaving afterwards is much easier.
Katsushika Fireworks Crowd Timing
The show starts at 19:20. The most common mistake is arriving at 19:00, when the free areas near Shibamata are already full.
- By 17:00: you can still choose a spot close to the paid seats.
- 18:00–19:00: the approach from Shibamata Station is slow, and the good free spots are gone.
- After 20:30: expect up to about 30 minutes just to reach a station. The Keisei Kanamachi Line ran every 10 minutes until about 22:00 in 2026.
Stay on your mat for 20–30 minutes after the last shell. The walk is easier once the first wave has gone, and you get the riverbank to yourself.
Staying in Kanamachi for the Katsushika Fireworks
A fireworks night is a long evening outdoors in July heat, and most hotel areas in central Tokyo leave you a train ride and a platform queue from the venue. From Kanamachi there is no train at all. You walk out at 16:30 and walk back at 21:00.
Bon House is a private tatami room for up to 4 people inside a house in Kanamachi, with its own bath and toilet, air conditioning, and a washer-dryer for clothes that have spent an evening on a humid riverbank. There's no kitchen, but the fridge, microwave and kettle cover cold drinks and convenience-store dinners.
If you're planning next July around this festival, check Bon House availability and rates for your dates.
A Typical Katsushika Fireworks Evening from Bon House
Here is how the evening usually goes for a family of four staying at Bon House.
Around 16:00 they walk 7–10 minutes to Kanamachi Station and take the Keisei Kanamachi Line one stop to Shibamata (2–3 minutes, ¥146 per adult on IC). They buy food and drinks around Shibamata Station and Taishakuten Sando, because nothing is sold on the riverbed. By 17:00 they have a mat down in the free area behind the paid seats, with two hours to eat and wait.
At 20:30 they skip Shibamata Station entirely. They wait out the first rush on the mat, then walk about 20 minutes to Kanamachi Station and another 7–10 minutes home. Clothes go in the washer-dryer, and the drinks they left in the fridge are still cold. There's no transfer and no platform queue with tired children.
What to Bring to the Katsushika Fireworks
- IC card: a charged Suica or PASMO. You don't want to queue at a ticket machine after the show.
- Cash: many food stalls near Shibamata Station are cash only. ¥3,000–¥5,000 covers a family's snacks and drinks.
- Food: buy before you sit down. Convenience stores near the venue get crowded in the hour before the show.
- Mat: a leisure sheet or folding cushion. The riverbed is grass and gravel with no seating outside the paid area.
- Insect repellent: the Edogawa riverbank after dark in July has a lot of mosquitoes.
- Rubbish bag: bins at the venue are limited, so take your rubbish home.
- Yukata: optional, but on festival night a yukata fits right in on Shibamata's old temple street. Rental shops in Asakusa rent them for the day.
More Tokyo Fireworks and Shibamata Guides
For every big summer festival with dates and access, see the Tokyo Fireworks 2026 Guide.
The Shibamata Travel Guide covers the temple street you walk through on the way in, which is worth a full afternoon on another day.
Comparing bases for festival season? Where to Stay for Tokyo Fireworks compares Kanamachi with central Tokyo.
Bon House is a 20-minute walk from Kanamachi Station to the launch site, so you can skip the trains entirely. See the room and check July dates.
FAQ
When is the next Katsushika fireworks festival?
The next date has not been announced yet. The last two editions were both on a Tuesday in late July: July 22, 2025 and July 28, 2026. The ward publishes the date on its tourism page and on X at @katsuhanabi, usually with paid seat sales following in June.
What happens if it rains?
The festival goes ahead in light rain and is cancelled in severe weather. In 2026 there was no postponement date, so a cancellation means no show that year. Check @katsuhanabi on the afternoon of the festival.
Is the Katsushika fireworks festival OK for small children?
Yes, with ear protection. The viewing areas are close to the launch site, and the ward warns that the booms are loud. Small children often cover their ears for the first few minutes. The venue had separate men's and women's toilets with handwashing in 2026, but queues get long before the show.
Can you watch from the Chiba (Matsudo) side of the river?
Some locals watch from the Matsudo riverbank across the Edogawa. In 2026, though, the riverside golf course on the Matsudo side was closed to all spectators, and organisers told visitors to use the Katsushika side. I wouldn't plan around it unless the official notice for that year says it is open.