Osaka Festival of Lights 2026: Midosuji and Nakanoshima Illuminated
Midosuji holds a world record for the most illuminated street trees on a single avenue – four kilometres of them, lit every winter.
Overview
Osaka Hikari no Kyoen, the Osaka Festival of Lights, is the umbrella for the city’s winter illuminations. Two core programmes anchor it: the Midosuji Illumination along the city’s main north-south avenue, recognised in January 2015 as the world’s most illuminated street of trees, and OSAKA Kohaku no Renaissance on Nakanoshima, the island between the two branches of the Dojima river.
Around them sit dozens of area programmes across Osaka Prefecture, so the whole city reads as lit for three months.
When and where
The 2026 edition runs from Tuesday 3 November 2026 to Sunday 31 January 2027. Individual programmes have their own shorter runs inside that window – the Nakanoshima programme typically ends in late December, while parts of the avenue continue into January.
Check the official site for each programme’s dates and hours before planning a specific evening.
Getting there
Midosuji runs from Umeda to Namba, paralleled by the Midosuji subway line, so any station on that line puts you on the route. Nakanoshima is reached from Yodoyabashi or Naniwabashi. Nothing here needs more than a subway ride, and walking the avenue from Shinsaibashi to Namba takes about 20 minutes.
What to expect
Two contrasting experiences plus satellite events.
- Midosuji Illumination along the city’s symbol avenue, with interactive installations
- OSAKA Kohaku no Renaissance on Nakanoshima, including projection mapping on the Central Public Hall
- Food and craft markets and a digital stamp rally at the Nakanoshima site
- An illuminated facade at Osaka City Hall and the Nakanoshima Illumination Street
- Area programmes at other locations across Osaka Prefecture
Tickets and admission
Free to see. Some individual attractions inside the area programmes charge, and food markets are pay-as-you-go. No reservation is needed for the street displays.
Tips for visitors
Walk Midosuji southward from Shinsaibashi in the early evening, then take the subway two stops to Yodoyabashi for Nakanoshima – doing both in one night is easy. Weeknights before mid-December are noticeably calmer than the run-up to Christmas. The ginkgo trees on Midosuji turn yellow in mid-November, which is the best week to combine daylight and lights.
Access and map
| Dates | 3 November 2026 – 31 January 2027 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Midosuji, Nakanoshima and sites across Osaka |
| Access | Midosuji subway line for the avenue; Yodoyabashi for Nakanoshima |
| Admission | Free |
| Official site | Osaka Festival of Lights |
Source: Osaka Festival of Lights official site
Image: Photo: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
