;March is one of the most magical times to visit Kyoto, as winter quietly fades, and the city blooms with color, culture, and celebration. From elegant plum blossoms and glowing night illuminations to food festivals, traditional performances, and cherry blossom previews, Kyoto in early spring offers something for every kind of traveler. This blog highlights the best things to do in Kyoto in March 2026, helping you make the most of this vibrant time of year!
Weeping Plum at Jonan-gu – Photo Credit: Jonangu
Shidare Ume Festival
The Shidare Ume (Weeping Plum) Festival at Jonan-gu Shrine is a beautiful event where visitors can enjoy over 150 weeping plum trees in bloom, along with colorful camellias, creating a peaceful and scenic garden atmosphere. It’s a popular spot for seasonal flower viewing and a relaxing way to welcome spring.
Date: February 18th – March 22nd
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Admission: Adults ¥1,000. Children ¥600
Address: 〒612-8459 Kyoto, Fushimi Ward, Nakajimatobarikyucho, ７
Website: https://www.jonangu.com/shidareume.html
Recreation of the future exhibition “Light and Flower Garden” – Photo Credit: Kyoto Nippon Festival
Kyoto Nippon Festival
This is a major art and culture event held at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the festival brings together Japan’s traditional beauty and contemporary creativity through immersive art installations, performances, and seasonal exhibitions. Highlights include large-scale art installations in the shrine’s gardens and an immersive theatre experience created by artist Mika Ninagawa, creative team EiM, and dance company DAZZLE, blending vivid visual art, movement, and narrative within historic spaces, offering visitors a unique cultural encounter where history, nature, and modern expression intersect.
Date: February 1st – May 24
Time: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Admission: Adults ¥3,500. Children ¥2,000
* Purchase here
Address: Bakurocho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, 602-8386
Website: https://kyoto-nippon-festival.com/s/knfes/?ima=3401&lang=en
Light Cycles Garden – Photo Credit: Fever
Kyoto Botanical Garden: Light Cycles Garden
Light Cycles Kyoto is an immersive night-time art and light experience at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens’ large conservatory, where plants, sound, and dazzling light projections come together in a dreamlike setting. You walk through four themed zones where lush greenery is transformed by light, color, and music into a glowing, living world. The event runs after dark and lasts about 45 minutes, welcoming visitors of all ages.
Date: March 1st – March 31st
Time: 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM (different time slots)
Admission: Adults ¥2,300. Children (15-18) ¥1,800, (6-15) ¥1,100
Address: Shimogamo Hangicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-0823, Japan
Website: https://lightcycles-experience.com/kyoto/
Alcohol exhibition – Photo Credit: PRTimes
Fushimi Sake Festival
Fushimi Sake Festival 2026 is a fun, laid-back celebration of Kyoto’s famous sake culture, held in the heart of Fushimi, one of Japan’s top sake-brewing areas. The event features tastings from 18 local breweries, delicious food pairings, and the chance to buy your favorite bottles right on the spot. To keep things comfortable and uncrowded, the festival is split into five timed sessions throughout the day, so everyone can enjoy the experience at an easy pace. With a tasting set included in your ticket, a lively atmosphere, and the charm of historic breweries all around, it’s the perfect way to spend a day sipping, strolling, and discovering the flavors of Fushimi.
Date: March 14th
Time: 9:40 AM – 5:20 PM
Admission: ¥2,000
*Advance purchase only (no same-day tickets if sold out)
Address: 300番地 Kataharacho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-8361
Website: https://www.fushimi.or.jp/sakefes/
Delicious curry at Maizuru Curry Festa – Photo Credit: Foods Channel
Maizuru Curry Festa
The Maizuru Curry Festa is a lively, springtime food celebration at the historic Maizuru Red Brick Park, where the city’s rich naval heritage meets its beloved curry culture. Against the backdrop of this Japan Heritage site, more than 30 vendors gather to serve diverse curry dishes, from traditional navy-inspired recipes to creative local takes, alongside other food and sweet stalls, making it a true culinary festival for all ages. Beyond tasting great curry, visitors can also join fun activities such as the “Ninin-baori” world eating challenge, family-friendly corners, and other interactive attractions that make this event about more than just food.
Date: March 14th – March 15th
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Admission: Free
Address: 1039-2 Kitasui, Maizuru, Kyoto 625-0080
Website: https://woody-h.com/event/curry.html
Dragon festival procession at a Japanese temple – Photo Credit: Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Kiyomizu-dera Seiryu-e Dragon Festival
Seiryu-e is a traditional festival at Kiyomizu-dera Temple celebrating the Blue Dragon, believed to be a guardian deity of the east and an incarnation of Kannon (the Buddhist deity of compassion). During the event, an 18-meter-long blue dragon figure leads a vibrant procession with performers in ornate costumes through the temple grounds and nearby town, praying for peace and protection from bad luck. Spectators often chant “Namu-Kannon” together as part of the ritual. This festival is held three times a year: on March 15th, April 3rd, and October 15th, with the procession starting around 2:00 pm and moving toward the Sai-mon Gate.
Date: March 15th
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Admission: Free
Address: 1 Chome-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0862
Website: https://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en/visit/seiryu-e/
Candlelight Concert in Japan – Photo Credit: Fever
Candlelight Concert: Best of Joe Hisaishi
This is a special candlelight concert experience held at Kyoto’s Kanze Kaikan Noh Theater, where you can enjoy famous music by Joe Hisaishi, the legendary composer behind many beloved Studio Ghibli films, performed live under the soft glow of candlelight. This 65-minute concert features live string quartets or ensembles playing iconic pieces from movies like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and more.
Date: March 21st
Time: 4:40 PM
Admission: ¥5,000 – ¥7,450
Address: 44 Okazaki Enshojicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8344
Website: https://feverup.com/m/185875/en
Nijo Castle surrounded by sakura trees – Photo Credit: Iko-yo
Nijo Castle Sakura Festival
The Nijo Castle Sakura Festival event is held at the World Heritage site Nijō-jō Castle, celebrating the castle’s roughly 300 cherry trees. The festival typically includes daytime sakura viewing across the castle grounds and nighttime illumination of the blossoms and historic buildings, offering a beautiful hanami experience around Kara-mon Gate and gardens. Night events often feature special lighting or art installations designed to enhance the cherry blossom atmosphere.
Date: March 19th – April 19th
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Illumination)
Admission: Adults ¥1,300 / Up to 18 ¥400 / Up to 12 ¥300
Address: 541 Nijojocho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8301
Website: https://nijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp/event/sakura2026/
Kitano Odori Geisha Performance – Photo Credit: Kamishichiken Kabukai
Kitano Odori Geisha Performance
Kitano Odori is an annual spring dance performance held from late March to early April, presented by the geiko and maiko of the Kamishichiken district, Kyoto’s oldest geisha quarter. First established in 1952, the event celebrates traditional Japanese performing arts through elegant seasonal dances, music, and theatrical scenes. The highlight is the vibrant finale, where all performers appear together in stunning costumes. The show is held twice daily and lasts about 90 minutes, offering visitors a rare opportunity to experience Kyoto’s refined geisha culture in a historic setting near Kitano Tenmangu Shrine.
Date: March 20th – April 2nd
Time: 2:00 PM & 4:30 PM (starting times)
Admission: ¥6,000 / ¥7,000 (with green tea & sweet included)
*Purchase your tickets here (in Japanese)
*You can read the information in English here
Address: 〒602-8381 Kyoto, Kamigyo Ward, Shinseicho, 742 今出川通七本松西入真盛町742
Website: https://www.maiko3.com/kitanoodori/
Scenic river cruise – Yodogawa Park
Yawata Sewaritei Cherry Blossom Festival
The Yodogawa Park (Sewaritei) Sakura Festival features a stunning 1.4-kilometer tunnel of blooming sakura along the riverbank. In addition to strolling under the blossoms, visitors can enjoy a variety of activities such as the Sakura Marche with local food and specialty stalls, scenic river cruises, traditional rowboat rides, and free guided walking tours that explain the area’s history and cherry trees. An observation deck also offers panoramic views of the blossoms, making the festival a popular spot for relaxed hanami and seasonal sightseeing.
Date: March 21st – April 12th
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Admission: Adults ¥2,000 / Up to 18 ¥1,000 / Up to 12 ¥500 (boat cruise)
*Purchase here
Address: Yawata, Kyoto 614-8312
Website: https://www.yodogawa-park.jp/sakurafes/
Roasted sweet potato dessert – Photo Credit: Kyodo News
Oimo Daisakusen
Oimo Daisakusen is a family-friendly outdoor food and entertainment festival held at Umekoji Park. The event celebrates sweet potatoes with a wide variety of delicious dishes and treats from across Japan, including roasted sweet potatoes, sweet-potato desserts, soft ice cream, and more. In addition to the food stalls, the festival offers child-friendly activities such as an air dome and trampoline, a children’s fair, giant bubbles, railway merchandise booths for train fans, and live performances by local idol groups.
Date: March 26th – March 29th
Time: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Admission: Free
Address: 56-3 Kankijicho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8836
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oimodaisakusen/?hl=en
Kiyomizudera’s Night Viewing – Photo Credit: Kiyomizudera
Kiyomizudera Spring Illumination
The Special Night Viewing at Kiyomizu-dera Temple offers visitors a rare chance to experience the temple after dark, as the temple normally closes at 18h. Held several times a year, in spring, summer, and autumn, this event allows guests to enjoy the temple’s peaceful atmosphere in the evening, with seasonal highlights such as cherry blossoms glowing under soft lights.
Date: March 27th – April 5th
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Admission: Adults ¥400. Children ¥200
Address: 1 Chome-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0862
Website: https://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en/visit/special_night_viewing/
Shirakawa river illumination – Photo Credit: Arukikata
Gion Cherry Blossom Illumination
A free evening illumination event held along the Shirakawa River in Kyoto’s historic Gion-Shinbashi area. During the cherry blossom season, the riverside street from Kawabata-dori to Tatsumi Daimeishin is lit up, creating a soft, atmospheric setting with blooming sakura, traditional machiya buildings, lanterns, and the sound of the river, perfect for a night walk under the cherry blossoms.
If you want to learn more about the spring season in Japan and about sakura, you can join our Cherry Blossom Season Evening Hanami Tour.
Date: March 27th – April 5th
Time: 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Admission: Free
Address: 〒605-0087 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, 花見小路新橋西
Website: https://ja.kyoto.travel/event/single.php?event_id=4544
Hanezu dance – Photo Credit: KYOTOdesign
Hanezu Odori
The Hanezu Odori at Zuishin-in Temple is a traditional springtime dance held on the last Sunday of March. The word hanezu refers to a soft pink shade associated with plum blossoms, which are in full bloom during the event. Dressed in elegant hanezu-colored costumes, young dancers perform graceful songs and dances among blooming trees, bringing to life the romantic legend of Ono no Komachi and Fukakusa no Shosho, a tale of deep devotion and unfulfilled love, in which a nobleman proves his love through devotion but tragically falls short in the end. The performances take place four times throughout the day and are part of a festive celebration that highlights both the beauty of the season and the rich cultural heritage of the historic temple.
Date: March 29th
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Admission: ¥1,000
Address: 〒607-8257 Kyoto, Yamashina Ward, Onogoryocho, ３５
Website: https://kyoto-design.jp/event/60190
As you can see, Kyoto in March offers an incredible variety of things to do, from seasonal flower festivals and cultural performances to food events and evening illuminations. No matter how you plan your visit, March is a wonderful time to explore Kyoto and enjoy everything the city has to offer.
Featured Photo Credit: munduuk
