The Biggest Golden Week Festival in Japan!

The Hakata Dontaku Festival is split over two days. On May 3rd, the Matsubayashi Parade is held early in the morning, reenacting the original parade that took place in 1179. The parade is led by three gods of fortune riding on horseback and a group of dancing children. This group also leads the main Dontaku Parade on May 4th.

The Dontaku parades are held in the afternoon on both May 3 and 4. These last all afternoon, and incorporate dancers, marching bands and the flower cars. In total, there are around 750 groups of performers, comprised of groups from across Fukuoka and Kyushu . More recently, international groups have also been invited to take part.

And More Fun!

There are comedic performances and dances throughout this week. Please come see the dance of the wives!

References

https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1972/

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/博多どんたく

http://www.dontaku.fukunet.or.jp/

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