Hakata Dontaku Port Festival

Hakata Dontaku traces its roots to the Hakata Matsubayashi, a New Year procession of good wishes said to date from 1179. It was banned in 1872, and when it came back in 1879 it was under the name dontaku, which the organisers say comes from the Dutch zondag, a day of rest. It returned in May 1946, the first spring after the war, and in 1962 it became the Fukuoka citizens' festival under its present name. The Matsubayashi itself still opens the festival. Four processions, the three gods of good fortune (Fukujin, Ebisu and Daikoku) and a group of children, go round the city on 3 and 4 May to bring good wishes to about 180 places. It is a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The rest of the festival belongs to the dontaku groups. Each dresses as it likes, and many beat shamoji, flat rice paddles. The organisers say the custom began with a woman cooking dinner who heard the procession and joined in with the paddle in her hand. In 2026 about 200 groups and about 18,000 people took part. The parade route, called Dontaku Hiroba, runs about 1.3 kilometres along Meiji-dori from the Gofukumachi crossing to Fukuoka City Hall. Groups also perform on about 30 stages around the city, including the main stage in front of City Hall and a port stage at Bayside Place Hakata. On the evening of the 4th the festival ends with the sou-odori, a dance in which anyone can join. The festival is run by the Fukuoka Citizens' Festival Promotion Association.