[2025–2026] Must-Know Info on Music Festivals & Outdoor Events in the Koshinetsu and Hokuriku Regions

Music Festival Master / Editor-in-ChiefKeisuke Hane
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC and in charge of music festivals. When I attended my first music festival as a freshman in college, I was captivated by its charm—“I can’t believe there’s a place this free and this fun.” I share information about wonderful music festivals every day to help grow the community of festival fans.
Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICKeisuke Hane
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. After working at a music studio and in wedding sound engineering, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with various instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in middle school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on personal music activities and professional experience, produces daily articles, including song introductions, features on music festivals around Japan, and live reports. Enjoys a wide range of music, from domestic and international rock to, more recently, a broad spectrum of J-pop.

The Koshinetsu and Hokuriku regions are home to expansive, majestic mountains and crystal-clear skies.

Music festivals held here are drawing attention as special experiences where great outdoors and music intertwine.

In addition to performances by renowned artists, these events are packed with attractions like delicious local cuisine, hot springs, and camping unique to this area.

Savor blissful moments as you take in the grand scenery, wrapped in a pleasant breeze and the best music.

Use this article to help create wonderful memories with friends and family.

Toyama Prefecture

SONGS Little Wing LIVEFri, Nov 14 — Toyama Prefecture

Schedule	Friday, November 14, 2025
place	Wing Wing Takaoka 1F, Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture
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Ishikawa Prefecture

BIG APPLE in NONOICHISun, Nov 23 — Ishikawa Prefecture

bigapple.nono1.jp

It began in 1995 after the Moonlight Jazz Orchestra, an amateur big band that started full-scale activities in Nonoichi City in 1980, performed at a jazz festival in the United States. The event title “BIG APPLE” is a nickname for New York and was chosen to signify a place where the world’s top musicians gather.

Schedule	Sunday, November 23, 2025
place	Ishikawa Prefecture, Nonoichi City, Nonoichi Cultural Hall Forte
Website	http://bigapple.nono1.jp/

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Fukui Prefecture

beat phoenixSat, Dec 20 – Fukui Prefecture

http://www.beatphoenix.com

It’s a music festival organized by FM Fukui that has been running since 2006. Numerous artists who are gaining nationwide attention perform there. For many of them, this event often marks their first live show in Fukui.

Schedule	Saturday, December 20, 2025
place	Phoenix Plaza, Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture
Website	https://www.beatphoenix.com/2019/
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Niigata Prefecture

Nagaoka One Hundred Sacks of Rice FestivalSat, May 23 — Niigata Prefecture

http://www.comefes.net

Around the time of the Meiji Restoration, the Nagaoka Domain, which had been given one hundred bags of rice, chose not to consume them—since they would be gone immediately—but instead sold the rice and used the proceeds to build a school, successfully cultivating human talent. Inspired by this “Spirit of One Hundred Bags of Rice,” we aim to create a future-oriented festival—the most comfortable festival in Japan. Enjoy the ultimate two days of fireworks, food, and music.

Schedule	Saturday, May 23, 2026
place	Echigo Hillside National Government Park, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture
Website	http://www.comefes.net/
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Past events

Romanticist and Shangri-LaNov 8 (Sat) – 9 (Sun), Nagano Prefecture

A camp festival born from the desire to build a community connected by camping and music. Not only pure campers, but also artist campers, workshop campers, campers who want to run a booth, comedian campers, DJ campers, campers who just want to stand out, campers who want to enjoy all of that, and even those with no experience but an interest—the camper reserves. A festival where everyone who loves camping can come together as one.