[2025–2026] Recommended Music Festivals: A roundup of outdoor festivals and major rock festivals you should attend at least once

JIM BEAM SUMMER FES, a free-admission event where you can enjoy Hokkaido’s famous cuisine and music while sipping a Jim Beam Highball made with the bourbon whiskey brand born in Kentucky, USA, will be held in Hokkaido! Spending summer like an adult—working up a sweat outdoors while enjoying drinks and music—sounds perfect, doesn’t it? With delicious, appetite-stimulating food and a Jim Beam Highball in hand, the live performances by participating artists are sure to make for the ultimate summer festival experience.

This event, held since 2009 under the name KESEN ROCK, wasn’t started by band members or event promoters but by ordinary people. It’s said to be “an event entirely handmade without even knowing what a rock festival is,” and, D.

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A massive festival will be held in Maishima, conveniently accessible from central Osaka and located very close to USJ, just as the event title suggests. Centered on pop and rock yet not confined to any specific genre, it’s an event that families can enjoy as well.

NUMBER SHOT has been held since 2014 as a successor to HIGHER GROUND, which took place from 2003 at the Uminonakamichi Seaside Park Outdoor Theater in Fukuoka Prefecture. Its hallmark is a relatively wide-ranging lineup, from rock bands and singer-songwriters to reggae groups. It’s one of those essential events in Kyushu’s summer live music scene.

Speaking of Fuji Rock, it’s one of Japan’s three major music festivals. It’s a large outdoor rock festival that draws over 100,000 attendees across three days every year. The venue is Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture. You can enjoy a wide range of musical genres across stages of various sizes, and at night there are all-night DJ events—truly a festival where you can immerse yourself in music. Plus, just being at a festival set in the great outdoors is enough to get your heart racing. If you’re a music fan, it’s a festival you should attend at least once.

The Oga Namahage Rock Festival held in Akita Prefecture was launched to revitalize the region by drawing many visitors to Oga, increasing Oga’s name recognition, and fostering local pride. Artists from a wide range of genres—such as mixture, hardcore, and reggae—come together to create two exhilarating days.

MURO FESTIVAL is a fest hosted by Shibuya O-Crest. At a time when people say audiences are drifting away from live houses, it was launched to create opportunities for bands active in live houses to perform outdoors and give back to the live house scene. This year it will be held indoors, combining the best of Muro Fes with the appeal of live houses.