[2025–2026] Music Festivals & Outdoor Events Guide for Hokkaido and the Tohoku Region

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 majestic nature of Hokkaido and the Tohoku region awaits you as the stage for a music festival.

A celebration of music unfolds beneath vast mountains, sweeping grasslands, and crystal-clear blue skies—an extraordinary experience you won’t find in the city.

Enjoy delicious local specialties packed with each region’s charm, and warm encounters with the people who live there.

Under a pleasant breeze and a sky full of stars, come feel the unique sense of togetherness created by the audience and the artists.

Past events

MEGA☆ROCKSSat, Oct 4 – Miyagi Prefecture

http://www.datefm.jp

It’s a live circuit event hosted by radio station FM Sendai, organized in collaboration with the city of Sendai and local live music venues.

Schedule	Saturday, October 4, 2025
place	Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai City: Rensa / darwin / SENDAI CLUB JUNK BOX / MACANA / spaace Zero / LIVE HOUSE enn 2nd / LIVE HOUSE enn 3rd / HIGHBURY / retro Back Page / ROCKATERIA / The Theater Nobody Knows
Website	http://www.datefm.jp/megarocks/
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QUESTSat 10/4 – Sun 10/5, Yamagata Prefecture

OPEN AIR Party QUEST is an outdoor festival held in Yamagata Prefecture. Set against the backdrop of Mount Jinga-mine, this festival layers sounds like a mountain range itself, rising so majestically that it seems to tower not only over Jinga-mine but even over Fuji (Mount Fuji). Its sheer power is a must-see.

Schedule	Saturday–Sunday, October 4–5, 2025
place	Sanpal, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
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Wind and Rock ImonikaiSat–Sun, Oct 4–5, Fukushima Prefecture

kazetorockimonikai.jp

This is a music festival presented by “Kaze to Rock,” the radio program and free paper by Fukushima-born creator Michihiko Yanai, together with the Fukushima Minpo newspaper. Billed as a village-festival-style rock event, it features activities like imoni stew, campfires, and test-of-courage night walks, with a hallmark of close interaction between performers and attendees. The now-traditional imoni gathering looks set to energize Fukushima.

Schedule	Saturday–Sunday, October 4–5, 2025
place	EN RESORT Grandeco, Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture
Website	http://kazetorockimonikai.jp/2023/imonypark.html
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Iwaki Downtown ConcertSat–Sun, Oct 4–5, Fukushima Prefecture

kankou-iwaki.or.jp

Schedule	Saturday–Sunday, October 4–5, 2025
place	Fukushima Prefecture, Iwaki City: Iwaki T-One Building / In front of Sakamoto Paper Store / Amago Taxi (in the parking lot) / Himawari Shinkin Bank (in front of headquarters) / Toho Bank Iwaki Sales Department (in the parking lot) / LATOV (station-front boulevard side, in front of Heishichi Elementary on 1F) / In front of Iwaki Station (Child Kizuna Exchange Plaza) / Machi Pole Iwaki (B1 Plus) / Daikumachi Park / Aeon Iwaki Store (in the parking lot) / Shinkawa East Green Belt / club SONIC Iwaki / Kotarocho Park
Website	https://kankou-iwaki.or.jp/event/50606

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Kesennuma Street Live Festival - AutumnSunday, 9/28, Miyagi Prefecture

k-streetlive.com

Schedule	Sunday, September 28, 2025
place	Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture
Website	http://k-streetlive.com/
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Goodwood FestivalSun, 9/28 Yamagata Prefecture

http://www.yugakunomori.com

Schedule	Sunday, September 28, 2025
place	Yamagata Prefecture, Mogami District, Yūgaku no Mori (Yugaku Forest)
Website	https://www.yugakunomori.com/chainsaw/

Ishigaki MUSIC FESTIVALSun, Sep 28 – Iwate Prefecture

http://www.ishigaki-fes.jp

It is an outdoor music festival held in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. The event aims to revitalize the local community and offers free admission to all venues. In 2015, funds were raised through crowdfunding, making it an event created together with music-loving fans.

Schedule	Sunday, September 28, 2025
place	Morioka Castle Ruins (Iwate Park), Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
Website	http://www.ishigaki-fes.jp
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