Yugawara Fes 2026

About the event

Yugawara Fes is a free day out at the seaside park, run by the young members of the town's chamber of commerce, tourism association and ryokan union. It began as the town's Halloween party for kids, and this is its third year as a festival.

Sixteen food trucks line up along the park. At the festival tent, look for the Yuffle, a festival-only sweet with a new Yugawara twist each year: kiwi and cream cheese in 2024, green for the town bird, the mejiro, then mikan chocolate and sweet potato in 2025. This year it's filled with kibimochi, a soft millet sweet Yugawara is known for. There aren't many, so go early.

Kids can sit in the cab of an excavator or a crane, then burn off the rest in the bouncy castles. Both take the same ticket, ¥200 a go, sold at the festival tent, with cheaper sets. The ¥300 puzzle rally runs on the day, and everyone who solves it gets a Yugawara sticker sheet while they last.

On stage, the Miyashita Preservation Society plays Yugawara-bayashi, the town's festival music for flute, drums and gong, at 10:00 and 12:00. The group has kept the nine old pieces going since 1979. Yutapon Five, the town's mascot squad, dance and pose for photos at 11:00 and 13:00.

Bring cash: stalls don't take cards. Dogs are welcome on a lead, and there's room for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Come in through the gate on the road side.

There's no parking at the park. Leave the car at the town hall (free) and take the free shuttle, which runs from Yugawara Station via the town hall and the town gym every 15 minutes from 9:30. The last bus back leaves the park at 17:25. The Atami bus from the station stops at Kadogawa, three minutes' walk away.

Stay for the evening: the same day, the tanuki parade sets off along Yumoto-dōri in the onsen district at 16:30, and the bamboo lanterns come on at 18:00.