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

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.

Until now, when people talked about music festivals, the standard was summer festivals held outdoors.

But lately, winter festivals held during the colder months have also become the norm.

Most winter festivals are indoor events held in large halls or exhibition centers, and even in the cold of winter, the venues are filled with excitement.

In this article, we’ll introduce a whole lineup of these hot winter music festivals!

From Christmas events and countdown events to those held right after the New Year, there’s a full schedule.

December

RADIO CRAZYDec 26 (Fri) – 29 (Mon), Osaka Prefecture

radiocrazy.fm

RADIO CRAZY, known as “RediKure,” is the annual year-end rock blowout. Held over two days at INTEX Osaka, RediKure features multiple stages where many popular artists deliver performances worthy of closing out the year.

Schedule	Fri, Dec 26–Mon, Dec 29, 2025
place	Intex Osaka, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
Website	http://radiocrazy.fm/
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COUNTDOWN JAPANSat 12/27 – Wed 12/31, Chiba Prefecture

countdownjapan.jp

As its name suggests, the festival called COUNTDOWN JAPAN traditionally features a countdown at the end of the year. Spanning four days, the festival hosts many remarkably star-studded artists befitting the close of the year. In addition, during the first sunrise of the new year, The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” is played.

Schedule	Sat, Dec 27–Wed, Dec 31, 2025
place	Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture
Website	http://countdownjapan.jp
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Kyo Premium LiveKyoto Prefecture, Sat 12/27 – Sun 12/28

miyako-premiumlive.jp

Kyoto’s anime music festival, Kyo Premium Live. With “Kyoto-ness” as its theme, this live event features anisong singers and voice-actor artists. For anime fans, it doesn’t get more luxurious than this. If you love anime, you can’t miss it.

Schedule	Saturday–Sunday, December 27–28, 2025
place	Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, ROHM Theatre Kyoto
Website	http://miyako-premiumlive.jp

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ayumi hamasaki COUNTDOWN LIVETue 12/30–Wed 12/31, Tokyo Metropolis

avex.jp

This is our 17th New Year’s Eve concert at Yoyogi Gymnasium, a tradition we’ve kept since 2000. Among fans, Yoyogi is called a “sacred place” and “home,” but it seems it will be unavailable for a while due to renovation work starting in 2017. This time, it looks like the performance will mark an important milestone at this special venue.

Schedule	Tue, Dec 30–Wed, Dec 31, 2025
place	First Gymnasium, Yoyogi National Stadium, Shibuya City, Tokyo
Website	https://avex.jp/ayu/news/detail.php?id=1128585
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New Year Rock FestivalWed, 12/31 Tokyo, Japan

newyearrockfestival.com

The New Year Rock Festival, a historic New Year’s Eve rock fest that began in 1973, has long been popular. With the slogan “Kōhaku isn’t the only show in town,” it has been cherished as a coveted event for rock bands. After organizer Yuya Uchida passed away, HIRØ from Kaiki Gesshoku took over as producer and the festival will be newly held. And in 2020, it will take the form of its first-ever audience-free, live-streamed New Year’s Eve concert—an unprecedented format that’s shaping up to be an event no one could have predicted.