The festival program lasting several days opens with a traditional dance parade, in which more than 20,000 people take part. All the parade participants wear beautiful national costumes, which makes the procession even more spectacular. The second day of the holiday also involves colorful processions. Among other things, the festival program includes gastronomic entertainment and children's activities. Interestingly, the Matsuri Festival is held in many Japanese cities but has some special features in Niigata.
During the parade, full-sized ship models made of wood are carried through the city streets. This feature indicates the importance of marine traditions for the city. The final entertainment of the festival is grandiose fireworks. The townspeople love pyrotechnic shows so much that they make them an indispensable part of literally all holidays. Within the framework of the Matsuri Festival, they always launch a huge 300 kg pyrotechnic shell called “Phoenix”. This is the largest shell allowed by local law - the diameter of the burst reaches about 2,000 meters. The beautiful festival is usually held in the early days of August. The tradition of its holding originated back in 1879.
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