Popular Festival Songs Ranking [2025]

cicada rainCocoro Auction78rank/position

Kokoro Auction 'Cicada Rain' [Episode 1]

Fireworks festivals and summer fairs are major events of the season, but they also carry a sense of the sadness that comes as summer slips away.

This song by Cocco Auction conveys the passage of those summer moments and the feeling of wanting to cherish the time we have.

The summer rain and the sound of cicadas that appear in the lyrics are striking, and it feels as if the changes in their intensity are contrasted with shifts in the heart.

The calm atmosphere of the sound and vocals is another notable point, evoking an image of facing one’s feelings while sensing the flow of time.

Bon-giri Love SongSouthern All Stars79rank/position

Southern All Stars – Bon-giri Love Song [Official Music Video]

It’s a Southern All Stars song that skillfully captures the atmosphere of a festival.

Woven into it are the bustle of a summer night, budding romances born there, and the quiet that follows when the festivities end—an entire one-night drama.

The repeated phrase of “Bongiri,” which is also the title, is striking and conveys the festival’s exhilaration.

Released in July 2023, it is positioned as the first new track commemorating the 45th anniversary of their debut.

Celebrated by fans as an exotic, quintessential Southern All Stars pop anthem, it’s the perfect song for anyone wanting to soak up a summer festival vibe or make joyful memories.

Anpanman Ondo ’99Dreaming, Keiko Toda, Koichi Yamadera, Tsunehisa Fujii80rank/position

Anpanman Ondo ’99

An anime song in the style of an ondō, delivering rock-solid reliability from the golden duo: lyrics by Takashi Yanase and music by Takashi Miki.

The track unfolds under the guidance of a serious-sounding MC, while the singing is lively and performed by characters from the show, including Anpanman and Kamameshidon.

Wanna carnival?Naoto Inti Raymi81rank/position

Naoto Inti Raymi – “Carnival?” (Live at Kyocera Dome / 2015.12.23)

Let’s boost the mood with a truly “upper-tune,” high-energy festival song! This track by singer-songwriter Naoto Inti Raymi—known for hits like “Mirai e” and “Brave”—was released in 2010 as his major-label debut single.

The positive lyrics, encouraging everyone to join hands in a circle and share smiles, are quintessentially Naoto.

It’s perfect as BGM when you want to brighten up a summer festival.

National Sake-Drinking Festival Song of Japanbarracuda82rank/position

Nationwide Drinkers' Ondo (with Nico Nico Douga comments)

The lyrics, which use any excuse to drink, are shocking.

Released in 1976, this track is notable for the way it lifts your spirits just by listening.

The song’s prototype comes from “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo,” the musical number in Disney’s film Cinderella.

All of the YouthFujifabric83rank/position

Fujifabric – Youth of Everything

It’s one of the most popular songs in Fujifabric’s catalog! I’m sure your town also has a festival that signals the end of summer—where you feel, “Once this festival is over, summer is over.” This song perfectly evokes that kind of festival.

The depiction of fireworks in the chorus carries a deep sense of melancholy, striking the heart with the bittersweet feeling of summer’s end.

It’s a song packed tightly with youth, one that brings back a flood of memories.

EscapeYorushika84rank/position

Escape

This song distills Yorushika’s world into a single track, where literary lyrics intertwine with vocalist suis’s clear, translucent voice.

Centered on the theme of “escape,” it portrays the inner conflicts buried deep in the heart and the earnest desire to break free from reality.

The driving, exhilarating sound evokes that restless urgency and faint glimmer of hope—like leaving the bustle of a summer festival behind and sprinting into the night, just the two of you.

Released in July 2020 on the album “Plagiarism,” it was also used in the promotional video for the manga “Call of the Night.” For those who want to flee from something yet still move forward, it may resonate with the complex feelings of a summer night.