Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks 2026 Complete Guide — Japan's Three Biggest Fireworks, the Sanshakudama and Phoenix

The Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks is one of Japan's three biggest fireworks festivals, alongside the Omagari Fireworks in Akita Prefecture and the Tsuchiura Fireworks in Ibaraki Prefecture. Held every year on August 2 and 3 to commemorate the victims of the Nagaoka air raid and celebrate the city's recovery, it attracts approximately 1 million visitors over the two days. The scale of the fireworks launched along the banks of the Shinano River—especially the spectacular Sanshakudama and Phoenix displays—creates an unforgettable experience found nowhere else.

Event Information

Signature Programs

Sanshakudama (しょうさんじゃくだま) A giant firework approximately 90 cm in diameter and weighing about 300 kg. It rises to a height of approximately 600 m and blossoms to a diameter of approximately 650 m, making it an iconic symbol of the Nagaoka Festival. Multiple shells are launched on both days.

Phoenix Reconstruction Fireworks This ultra-wide star mine has been launched since 2005 in hopes of supporting recovery from the Chuetsu Earthquake (2004年). The display spreads across the Shinano River, which is approximately 2 km wide, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. The 5-minute performance, accompanied by Ayaka Hirahara's "Jupiter," is a signature program that leaves many spectators in tears.

Niagara and Kome Hyappyo Fireworks The program incorporates local history and culture, including a long Niagara display that cascades like a waterfall from the bridge over the Shinano River and a 100-shot star mine inspired by the spirit of Kome Hyappyo, the famous rice donation associated with the former Nagaoka domain.