Based on the official Setagaya Tamagawa Fireworks Festival website and the official 2026 brochure (Japanese and English editions), checked on 28 September 2026.
Most of Tokyo’s big fireworks shows happen in summer, but the Setagaya Tamagawa Fireworks Festival (世田谷区たまがわ花火大会) takes place in autumn. This year is the 48th edition, on Saturday 3 October 2026 from 18:00 to 19:00, with about 6,000 fireworks launched from the Setagaya side of the Tamagawa River. At exactly the same time, Kawasaki City holds its own show on the opposite bank (the 85th Kawasaki City Tamagawa Fireworks Festival, also about 6,000), so from some spots you can watch both at once.
General viewing is free. The catch is the crowd: attendance is usually put at around 270,000, and the official brochure warns that people have waited over two hours to get back to Futako-Tamagawa Station after the show. This guide covers where to watch, the rules for saving a spot, paid seats, food stalls, getting there and — most importantly — getting home.
- When: Saturday 3 October, 18:00–19:00. Cancelled in severe weather with no rain date; the decision is posted on the official site by 7:00 that morning.
- What’s new: for safety reasons, the largest shells are now size 6 (down from size 10). The show is split into six acts and ends with a huge “Niagara” waterfall of gold.
- Want more space? The official brochure recommends the Unane and Hirasegawa viewing areas as relatively uncrowded.
- Going home: skip Futako-Tamagawa Station and walk to Yoga Station (about 30 min) or Seijogakuen-mae Station (about 50 min), as the organisers suggest.
- No parking and no bicycle parking at the venue. Come by train and walk.
- Key facts: date, time and venue
- The 2026 programme: six acts
- Where to watch for free: Kamata, Unane or Hirasegawa
- Saving a spot and what you can’t bring
- Paid seating: six seat types, prices and entrances
- Food stalls and food trucks
- Getting there: stations, road closures and buses
- Getting home: routes that avoid Futako-Tamagawa Station
- Things to know before you go
- Can’t make it? Live broadcast, the next-day clean-up and a photo contest
- FAQ
Key facts: date, time and venue
| Event | 48th Setagaya Tamagawa Fireworks Festival (第48回 世田谷区たまがわ花火大会) |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday 3 October 2026 Cancelled in severe weather, no rain date |
| Fireworks | 18:00–19:00, about 6,000 Largest shells size 6 (size 10 until last year) |
| Stage | 15:00–19:30 (paused during the fireworks) |
| Food stalls | General area 14:00–20:00 Paid area and Unane 15:00–20:00 |
| Venue | Futako-Tamagawa Ryokuchi Sports Ground (upstream of Futako Bridge, 1-3-5 Kamata, Setagaya) |
| Cost | General viewing is free (paid seats also available) |
| Theme | 翔 (“Soar”) — a new flight across the night sky |
| Same night | 85th Kawasaki City Tamagawa Fireworks Festival 18:00–19:00, about 6,000 (Kawasaki side) |
| Organiser | Setagaya Tamagawa Fireworks Festival Executive Committee and Setagaya City (held jointly with Kawasaki City under a partnership agreement) |
| Enquiries | Setagaya Call 03-5432-3333 Event-day status line 050-3662-6927 |
The organisers say the maximum shell size was reduced “from the standpoint of safety measures”. Individual bursts will be a little smaller than before, but the hour is packed with music-synchronised starmines, so there are very few quiet gaps.
The 2026 programme: six acts
The official brochure lists this year’s programme. Many of the acts nod to Setagaya itself — the cartoon family Sazae-san, the horses of Baji Koen equestrian park, and the ward flower, the white egret orchid.
| Time | What’s on |
|---|---|
| 15:00 | Opening stage Komazawa University brass band and a cappella club, a juggling show, taiko drums and a choir |
| 18:00 | Act 1: Let’s Kick Off the Setagaya Fireworks with Sazae-san! An opening barrage, then a countdown to the Sazae-san theme song, with fireworks shaped like the characters |
| 18:10 | Act 2: Horse Fireworks Soaring Across the Setagaya Sky Inspired by the horses of Baji Koen, with comets and circular mines echoing galloping hooves |
| 18:21 | Act 3: TAMA Connect (a Setagaya × Kawasaki collaboration) Kawasaki’s azalea, Setagaya’s egret orchid and a “Milky Way” starmine for the Tamagawa River |
| 18:33 | Act 4: A Triumphant Return from Cannes The digital starmine that won both the top prize and the audience award at the 2025 Cannes fireworks festival, synced to music to the hundredth of a second |
| 18:40 | Act 5: Lights of Hope Starmines carrying wishes for recovery and peace, including fireworks from the disaster-hit Noto and Tohoku regions |
| 18:55 | Act 6: Soaring into the Future — Grand Aerial Niagara A curtain of golden kamuro chrysanthemums pours down across the sky for the finale |
| 19:00 | Closing: taiko drum performance |
The programme may change. Below are the programme pages from the official English brochure.
For a sense of what it looks like on the night, here are the winning shots from the festival’s 2025 photo contest — note the reflections on the river and the scale of the Niagara finale.
Where to watch for free: Kamata, Unane or Hirasegawa
The main site, the Kamata area (鎌田会場), is closest to Futako-Tamagawa Station and by far the busiest. The official brochure has a page titled “For those who want to avoid the crowds” that points to two relatively uncrowded alternatives:
| Area | What it’s like | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Kamata (main site) | Stage, paid seats and most stalls; lively but the most crowded | 15–20 min walk from Futako-Tamagawa Station |
| Unane (宇奈根会場) | Close to the launch site and spacious, with Kawasaki’s show right in front of you; food trucks and stalls from Kawaba Village | About 11 min walk from the Kamata (鎌田) bus stop on route 玉07 (to Futako-Tamagawa or Seijogakuen-mae West Exit) |
| Hirasegawa (平瀬川会場) | Across the river, directly facing the launch site; the further upstream, the closer the view | 15–20 min walk from Futako-Shinchi Station (Den-en-toshi Line); 20–30 min from Tsudayama or Kuji Station (JR Nambu Line) |
- The Kinutahonmura (砧本村) bus stop is only 5 minutes from the Unane area, but because of the road closures the last bus there leaves Futako-Tamagawa at 14:03. Use the Kamata stop instead.
- According to the organisers, walking from Futako-Tamagawa Station to the Kamata area can take over an hour in the crowds, while the route from Futako-Shinchi Station to Hirasegawa is much quieter.
A warning for paid-seat holders: Kawasaki’s festival runs at the same time at a separate venue, and every year people go to the wrong one. Setagaya’s paid seats are at the Kamata area (鎌田会場). This shared map shows how the two events fit together:
Saving a spot and what you can’t bring
You can save a spot in the general viewing area, but the rules are specific and anything that breaks them will be removed:
- Allow about 90 cm square per person — no oversized spots.
- Roped-off spots are allowed from midnight on the day; plastic groundsheets only from 14:00 on the day, to protect the grass.
- No tape, spray paint, stones, pegs or stakes. The organisers suggest tying water-filled plastic bottles to the corners of your rope as weights (bring the water from home — the handwashing taps can’t be used).
- Unattended or oversized spots may be reduced, so someone must stay with it.
- Once entry restrictions start (for example, bridges being closed), you won’t get in even if you’ve saved a spot.
Not allowed at the venue: camping tents, parasols, leisure tables and chairs (they block other people’s view), drones, pets (assistance dogs excepted), fire and hazardous items, and unauthorised flyering, selling or fundraising. Smoking is only permitted in the designated areas.
Paid seating: six seat types, prices and entrances
If you’d rather sit in comfort, there are paid seats at the Kamata area. Both the resident pre-sale and general sale are open; check availability on the ticket site.
| Seat type | People | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table seat | 4 | ¥42,000 | Front section, table + 4 chairs (458) |
| Chair seat | 1 | ¥6,500 | One chair (1,790) |
| Pair chair seat | 2 | ¥14,000 | Two chairs (1,214) |
| Pair sheet seat | 2 | ¥15,000 | 150×120 cm groundsheet (975) |
| Sheet seat | 4 | ¥22,000 | 180×180 cm, room to lie down (1,184) |
| Large sheet seat | 10 | ¥55,000 | 270×270 cm, front row (82) |
- Tickets are sold on Rakuten Ticket or by phone (050-5893-9366, 10:00–17:00, Japanese).
- After booking, you must print your ticket at a 7-Eleven register; payment confirmation emails are not accepted. One ticket per person, and everyone carries their own.
- The paid area opens at 15:00. Table, pair sheet, chair and large sheet seats use Entrance A; sheet and pair chair seats use Entrance B.
- Children under 3 can sit on an adult’s lap (one per adult); if they take a seat, they count as a person.
- No cancellations or changes. If the show is called off before launch, refunds are made at the store where you printed the ticket (minus the in-store payment fee).
- Getting from the station to the venue can take over 90 minutes, and there are no refunds if the crowds make you late.
Kawasaki’s festival also sells sponsor seats on the Setagaya side, inside Futako-Tamagawa Park (Kaminoge Area A): folding chair ¥6,000, pair chairs ¥16,000, unreserved groundsheet ¥4,000 per person, via Ticket Pia. No refunds unless the show is cancelled before launch.
Food stalls and food trucks
Stalls are grouped into six areas, and all of them stop selling at 20:00.
| Area (number on the map) | Hours |
|---|---|
| 1. Kamata general area (blocks 1–2) | 14:00–20:00 |
| 2. Kamata general area (block 5) | 14:00–20:00 |
| 3. Kamata paid area (Entrance A side) | 15:00–20:00 |
| 4. Kamata paid area (Entrance B side) | 15:00–20:00 |
| 5. Unane area | 15:00–20:00 |
| 6. Unane area food trucks | 15:00–20:00 |
The published menus are festival classics: yakisoba, karaage fried chicken, beef tongue and short-rib skewers, takoyaki, butter potatoes, shaved ice and chocolate bananas, plus draft beer and lemon sours. A few stand out: Futako Beer, a local craft beer, and an Okinawan stall with Agu pork sausages and sata andagi doughnuts at Kamata; stalls from Kawaba Village in Gunma — Setagaya’s long-standing partner village — selling vegetables, konjac, local miso and Kawaba craft beer at Unane; and food trucks with Miyakonojo charcoal chicken and rainbow cheese dogs.
- Toilets and stalls get long queues just before the show; the organisers themselves advise using the toilet early. Buying food by around 17:00 is a safe bet.
- Mobile signal gets patchy at the venue, so bring some cash in case cashless payments won’t go through.
Getting there: stations, road closures and buses
The nearest station is Futako-Tamagawa (Tokyu Den-en-toshi and Oimachi lines), a 15–20 minute walk from the Kamata area. The organisers warn that the area around the station gets extremely crowded after 17:00 and the walk can take over 90 minutes, so arrive early.
- Road closures: roads around the venue, including Tamazutsumi-dori, close to traffic from about 16:00 to 21:00 on the west side of the station and about 15:00 to 21:00 on the east side. The organisers issued a correction on 24 September: there are no closures around Kaminoge this year.
- Buses: from 14:00, stops and routes at the Futako-Tamagawa Station bus terminal and around the venue change.
- No cars or bikes: there’s no parking and no bicycle parking at the venue.
Getting home: routes that avoid Futako-Tamagawa Station
This is where most people get stuck. According to the brochure, at past festivals the Hyogojima route — the path closest to Futako-Tamagawa Station’s east exit — backed up so badly that some people took more than two hours to reach the station. The organisers recommend:
| Head for | How |
|---|---|
| Yoga Station (Den-en-toshi Line) | Walk, about 30 minutes |
| Seijogakuen-mae Station (Odakyu Line) | Walk, about 50 minutes, or take a bus from the temporary Yoshizawa (吉沢) stop |
| Futako-Tamagawa Station | If you still go this way, leave via the Hanabibashi (華火橋口) or Yoshizawa (吉沢口) exits, not Hyogojima |
The temporary Yoshizawa bus stop is inside the Koyama Driving School grounds. From about 15:00, buses on routes 玉31 (to Seijogakuen-mae via the National Center for Child Health and Development), 玉07 (to Seijogakuen-mae West Exit) and 玉08 (to Chofu Station South Exit) stop here instead, with extra services. For safety reasons, you can’t reach the Yoshizawa stop from the Hanabibashi or Hyogojima exits.
Things to know before you go
- Your phone may lose signal, so take screenshots of the venue map and routes home beforehand.
- Meet up with your group before entering — finding each other inside is hard.
- Debris falls during and after the show: burnt paper and soot have ended up in people’s eyes.
- No umbrellas in the rain — they block the view. Wear a raincoat and bring a towel.
- Sort your rubbish into the designated bins, and take your groundsheet home.
- Wear comfortable shoes and bring a layer; the riverbank gets chilly on October evenings.
There is an accessible viewing space for people with disabilities (a third-floor classroom at Komazawa University’s Tamagawa campus, and the embankment below the Yoshizawa exit), but places were allocated by advance lottery and applications have closed.
Can’t make it? Live broadcast, the next-day clean-up and a photo contest
Watch live: according to an announcement in the official brochure, local cable channel iTSCOM will broadcast the show live on terrestrial channel 11 from 17:30 on 3 October, with a YouTube live stream as well.
The Tamagawa clean-up: on Sunday 4 October, 8:00–11:00, volunteers clean the riverbank around the venue. Anyone can join — just go to one of the meeting points (Hyogojima Park, the Yoshizawa side of the sports ground, or Unane Park), and tools are provided. Volunteers aged 16 and over receive a voucher for 500 points of “Setagaya Pay”, the ward’s digital local currency. It goes ahead in rain but not in severe weather, and is cancelled if the fireworks are called off before 7:00 on the 3rd.
Photo contest 2026: from 3 to 19 October, post your photos from the night on X or Facebook with the hashtag #世田谷花火, or enter via the official website. The top prize is a ¥10,000 Setagaya gift certificate, with two ¥5,000 runner-up prizes; winners are due to be announced on 1 December.
FAQ
- Q. When is the Setagaya Tamagawa Fireworks Festival 2026?
- Saturday 3 October 2026, 18:00–19:00, with about 6,000 fireworks. It is cancelled in severe weather with no rain date; the decision is posted on the official website by 7:00 that morning, and you can also call 050-3662-6927.
- Q. Is it free?
- General viewing is free. Paid seats start at ¥6,500 for a single chair and are sold on Rakuten Ticket and by phone; tickets must be printed at a 7-Eleven.
- Q. Is it the same as the Kawasaki fireworks?
- No, but the two festivals take place at the same time on opposite banks of the Tamagawa River (Kawasaki’s is the 85th Kawasaki City Tamagawa Fireworks Festival, about 6,000 shells). From spots such as the Unane area you can see both. The paid seating areas are separate — Setagaya’s are at the Kamata area.
- Q. Where is it less crowded?
- The official brochure recommends the Unane area (about 11 minutes’ walk from the Kamata bus stop) and the Hirasegawa area (15–20 minutes from Futako-Shinchi Station) as relatively uncrowded.
- Q. When can I start saving a spot?
- Roped-off spots from midnight on the day, plastic groundsheets from 14:00. Allow about 90 cm square per person, and someone must stay with the spot.
- Q. Can I drive or cycle there?
- No. There is no parking or bicycle parking, and large road closures begin in the afternoon, so the organisers ask everyone to come on foot.
- Q. What’s the fastest way home?
- Walk to Yoga Station (about 30 minutes) or Seijogakuen-mae Station (about 50 minutes), or take a bus towards Seijogakuen-mae or Chofu from the temporary Yoshizawa stop. The area around Futako-Tamagawa Station has seen waits of over two hours.
- Q. What if it rains?
- The show is only cancelled in severe weather; light rain doesn’t stop it. Use a raincoat rather than an umbrella.