Tanabata Sky Lantern Festival (Saitama)

The Tanabata Sky Lantern Festival is a large night event expressing Tanabata's motif of sending wishes to the stars through LED sky lanterns. In 2026 the Saitama venue runs July 17-23 at the Daimon-kamiike Retarding Basin Plaza beside Saitama Stadium 2002 Park. Visitors write wishes on lanterns in place of paper strips, and from 17:00 to 21:00 countless glowing lanterns rise into the summer night sky in a dreamlike scene. Using safe flameless LEDs, it is produced by the company that first commercialized LED sky lanterns. Its photogenic light displays have made it a popular new-style Tanabata event for families and couples.