# Gion Matsuri

> A whole month of rituals at Yasaka Shrine, built around two float processions on 17 and 24 July.

- Prefecture: Kyoto
- Type: Float procession
- Admission: Free to attend
- Typically held: Held every July, with the two float processions on 17 and 24 July.
- Official site: https://www.gionmatsuri.or.jp/

## Dates

- 2027-07-01 to 2027-07-31
- Status: confirmed
- Dates verified on 2026-08-20 from https://www.gionmatsuri.or.jp/

| When | What |
| --- | --- |
| 2027-07-14 | Saki Matsuri Yoiyama |
| 2027-07-17 09:00 | Saki Matsuri Yamahoko Junko |
| 2027-07-21 | Ato Matsuri Yoiyama |
| 2027-07-24 09:30 | Ato Matsuri Yamahoko Junko |

Gion Matsuri is not a weekend. It runs the length of July, and most of it is quiet: purification rites, the drawing of lots that fixes the order of the floats, musicians practising in upstairs rooms. What visitors come for is concentrated into two halves. Each is a three-night yoiyama, when the downtown blocks north of Shijo close to cars and the yamahoko stand lit in the street, followed the next morning by a junko, the procession that hauls them through the city. The floats are the reason the festival is on the UNESCO list. The largest, the hoko, weigh around twelve tonnes and stand the height of a three-storey building, and they have no steering: turning a corner means laying split bamboo under the wheels, soaking it, and dragging the whole thing round by rope while the crowd counts the pulls. It is slow, and that is the point. The festival traces to 869, when the rites were held to end an epidemic.

## Where it happens
- Yasaka Shrine
- Gion

## FAQ

### When is Gion Matsuri held?

Through the whole of July every year. The two float processions fall on 17 and 24 July, and the three yoiyama evenings precede each one.

### Which is better to see, 17 or 24 July?

The 17 July procession is much larger, with 23 floats, and correspondingly harder to watch. The 24 July procession has 11 floats and perhaps a third of the crowd, so it is the better choice if you would rather see clearly than see everything.

### Do I need a ticket?

No. Watching from the street is free. Paid grandstand seats on Oike-dori are sold in advance if you want a guaranteed view, and the 17 July seats sell out early.

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Source: Gion Matsuri — Japan Voyage