Ikebukuro Montparnasse Art Festival: Free Art Shows and Workshops Around Ikebukuro (Oct 20–Nov 30)

If you live in Tokyo or are passing through Ikebukuro this autumn, there is an easy way to see a lot of art without paying for tickets. The 21st Ikebukuro Montparnasse Art Festival (第21回池袋モンパルナス回遊美術館) runs its autumn edition from Tuesday, October 20 to Monday, November 30, 2026, with shows and workshops scattered across venues around Ikebukuro. Every highlight picked out in this guide is free to attend.

Image: Toshima City (from a PR TIMES press release)

What this festival is

The name comes from Ikebukuro Montparnasse, a nickname for the area where young artists once lived and worked side by side, pushing each other to create. The festival carries on that spirit, and its tagline is simple: anywhere in town can be a museum.

Rather than one big venue, you walk between department stores, theaters, galleries and underground passages. The two flagship programs this autumn are a children’s art show featuring work by Toshima City children of elementary school age and younger, and the Artist Debut show for junior and senior high school students who want to become artists. Around those, you’ll find art exhibitions and workshops across the Ikebukuro area.

Toshima City is one of the organizations on the festival’s executive committee.

Dates, venues and organizer

Five free highlights

Here’s a quick overview, in date order. Details for each follow below the table.

1. Kids art show (まちかどこども美術展)

Last year’s kids art show. Image: Toshima City (from a PR TIMES press release)

This is the 21st edition of the show, featuring work by children up to elementary school age who live or go to school in Toshima City. Expect paintings and handmade pieces filling the room.

• Dates: Wednesday, November 18 – Sunday, November 22
• Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 17:00 on the last day)
• Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre B1F, Atelier West
• Fee: free
• Details: official page

Image: Toshima City (from a PR TIMES press release)

2. Artist Debut show (アーティストデビュー展)

Now in its 5th year, this show gives junior and senior high school students aiming to become artists a place to show their work. It runs at the same time and in the same building as the kids show, so you can see both in one trip.

• Dates: Wednesday, November 18 – Sunday, November 22
• Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 17:00 on the last day)
• Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre B1F, Atelier East
• Fee: free
• Details: official page

Image: Toshima City (from a PR TIMES press release)

3. Magic hat workshop

Held alongside the kids art show, this workshop (とびだせ!イケてる魔法の帽子☆) has participants make a hat with a pop-up mechanism. The instructor is illustrator Nanoa Katayama, who also designed the visuals for this year’s kids art show.

• Date: Saturday, October 31, 13:00–15:00
• Venue: WACCA Ikebukuro, 4F
• Fee: free
• Capacity: 20 people, first come, first served (same-day sign-up also available)
• How to apply: online form, closing Sunday, October 25
• Details and form: official page

4. Dot Coloring Workshop at Sunshine City

Image: Toshima City (from a PR TIMES press release)

This is the one to drop in on if you’re already shopping at Sunshine City. Four canvases on a 6m × 2m wall hold 52,224 dots in total. You find the matching numbers and fill them in, and the picture comes together as more people join. It’s run by Sunshine City and STUDIO201.

• Dates: Monday, November 2 – Monday, November 23 (public holiday)
• Hours: 11:00–19:00
• Venue: Sunshine City, B2 Higashi-Ikebukuro underground passage
• Fee: free
• Details: official page

5. greenhippo & PieniSieni two-artist show

Titled 物語の棲家 (roughly, a home for stories), this show brings together two artists who won the Toshima Mayor’s Award at IAG 2025. Each builds their own world from a different point of view.

• Dates: Wednesday, October 28 – Sunday, November 8
• Hours: 10:30–17:30 (until 16:00 on November 8)
• Closed: Monday, November 2
• Venue: Toshima Kumagai Morikazu Art Museum, 3F Gallery
• Fee: free (the museum’s permanent collection is paid)
• Details: official page

Tips for planning your visit

• Want to see the most in one day? Aim for November 18–22. The kids show and the Artist Debut show are both at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, and the dot-coloring wall at Sunshine City is still running then.
• Bringing kids to the hat workshop? Seats are limited to 20, so apply by October 25 rather than relying on same-day spots.
• Going to the two-artist show? Skip November 2, when the museum is closed, and note the earlier finish on the final day.
• Looking for more? Other exhibitions and workshops run during the festival. The pamphlet and the official website list them all.

If you enjoy art events like this, the Musashino Art University festival guide covers another autumn option in Tokyo. For a full day out with family, the Asoview campaign for discounted leisure tickets may help too. And if you’re after more free outdoor events, check out the Shibaura Canal Festival guide as well.

FAQ

Q. Is the festival free?

All five highlights in this guide are free. At the Kumagai Morikazu Art Museum, the two-artist show is free but the permanent collection is paid. Check each program page for the other events.

Q. Do I need to book the hat workshop?

Apply through the online form by Sunday, October 25. It is limited to 20 people on a first-come basis, and same-day sign-up is also available.

Q. When are the kids art show and the Artist Debut show held?

Both run from November 18 to 22 at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre B1F, 10:00 to 18:00 (until 17:00 on the last day). The kids show is in Atelier West and the Artist Debut show is in Atelier East.

Q. Where can I find the full program?

Other exhibitions and workshops are listed in the pamphlet and on the official website.

Sources: official festival website / Toshima City press release (PDF). Schedules may change, so check the official pages before you go.