2027.02.05 — 2027.02.21 · Coming soon

A city of lanterns for the Lunar New Year.

Nagasaki Lantern Festival 2027

Grown from the Lunar New Year celebrations of Nagasaki’s Shinchi Chinatown, the Lantern Festival is now the city’s signature winter event. From 5 to 21 February 2027, lanterns fill Shinchi Chinatown, Minato Park, Chuo Park, the Doza River, Nakashima River Park, the Hamanomachi arcades, the Tojin Yashiki and the Confucius Shrine: Minato Park has the main displays, the Doza River pink lanterns, and Nakashima River Park yellow ones reflected beside Megane Bridge. The lights go on at two venues on the evening of 5 February; on 13 and 20 February about 100 people in Chinese costume join the Emperor’s Parade, with Nagasaki governor Ken Hirata as emperor on the 13th and singer Kiyoshi Maekawa on the 20th; on 7 and 14 February the Mazu procession recreates how Chinese ship crews of the Edo period carried the sea goddess ashore and back, and there are dragon dances every day.