[2025–2026] A roundup of popular winter festivals: Music festivals for the cold season

FNC KINGDOM is a music event hosted by FNC Entertainment, a South Korean talent agency. It’s a dream-come-true event for fans, where FNC artists gather in Japan. Only at this event can you enjoy special collaborative projects between artists and unique live performances that turn up the excitement. Generous fan service is also one of the charms of Korean artists. Come experience the surprises waiting at the venue on the day!

As the title “Onsen Onraku” suggests, this is a rare music festival that takes over the entire Kanaguya hot spring inn in Nagano Prefecture. In this historic building, you can feel Japanese culture while it blends with contemporary music, creating a mysterious space that feels truly otherworldly. With event tickets that include accommodation, you can enjoy music, winter hot springs, and travel all in one for a special weekend. Because the event is held with a limited number of attendees, it’s recommended for those who want to relax both mind and body.

When it comes to summer festivals in Kyoto, 10-FEET’s Kyoto Daisakusen is the obvious pick, but the winter tradition has to be Kyoto-born rock band ROTTENGRAFFTY’s Kyouto Chotokkyu. In 2014, the event moved to Pulse Plaza, and since 2016 it has expanded to a two-day format—Kyouto Chotokkyu is a festival you simply can’t take your eyes off as it keeps growing!

College of Rock is a music event held twice a year—in summer and winter—in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. As the name suggests, it’s a festival planned and run mainly by college students and other young people. In summer, it takes place on an outdoor stage set up at the Ishigami-no-Oka Museum, and in winter, it’s hosted across multiple live houses in central Morioka, featuring many young bands. There also appears to be an open application process, so if you’re in a band in the Tohoku region, why not give it a try and enter?