Saga International Balloon Festival 2025 review

A common trait with prefectures in Japan is they are often known for specific things be it a landmark, food, festival, mascot or sport. Prefectures in Japan take pride in produce grown locally and souvenirs from that prefecture will feature those goods. Landmarks become cute mascots or the faces of tourism campaigns. I wrote a blog a while ago on how a mascot saved a prefecture after an earthquake. For today’s blog entry I will be focusing on festivals and sport.

 I moved to Saga prefecture over a year ago and became acquainted with its specialties and landmarks. I was told that there was one festival that outshines them all for fame. One festival where Saga can claim uniqueness.

The Saga international balloon festival runs for four days at the end of October; it is the largest balloon festival in Japan. This year marked the 46th anniversary including the years where it was cancelled for various reasons. The largest number of countries it has hosted at one time is 38 countries in 2016; when it hosted the World hot air balloon championship. Every year teams gather in Saga and take part in competitions or just have fun displaying their balloons. The different events include the main competition, fun character balloons, a key drop race and a nighttime viewing where balloons are lit up along the riverside.

The event takes place at the same time as Kyushu’s largest festival, which is also held in Saga, Karatsu Kunchi which runs for three days. One of my colleagues informed me that the two festivals were moved to run on the same weekend as it would benefit tourism more. That weekend also sees a few more events taking place around the prefecture such as viewing the red grasses which bloom near the mud planes and a few light festivals. During that week Saga becomes alive with activity, and it is a great time to explore.

For the festival period a temporary railway stop opens named Saga Balloon, it becomes an official stop, which most trains stop at. This stop is five-minutes from Saga city. The event is free to attend. The night before the festival takes place is called Eve, the burners and the baskets of the balloons are paraded down the main street in Saga, people wear kimono, dance and play traditional instruments like taiko.

The festival welcomed its 30 millionth guest this year and was the most amount of people I have seen in Saga at one time since my arrival. There is also a Honda bike race hosted over the weekend, live stage and a huge number of stalls selling festival foods, handmade goods, merch and running arcade style games for prizes.

People bring picnic blankets, tents, and set up along the riverbank of Kase river to spend a relaxing day watching the balloons and enjoying the vibe. Some bring picnic food and others enjoy stall offerings. When I arrived, it was during the end of the fiesta and many balloons were in the sky. The skyline became very colourful and lively.

There is a live stream you can tune into and the website updates hourly on the status of all events. The live commentary is in both English and Japanese due to the event’s international nature. The events are subject to cancellations due to wind and weather which makes it a bit of a gamble to go in person. On the day I attended the midday event was cancelled due to wind speeds. And in 2024 the entire event was cancelled due to flooding caused by the tail end of a typhoon. This was the year I arrived and I made a vow to witness at least one balloon festival.

In town there is a Balloon museum dedicated to the event which can be viewed anytime of the year. English is available in the museum and a chance to enter a balloon and try the key drop race game via VR is offered. The museum also has a giant claw machine where everyone is guaranteed a prize. The prizes are Top Trump style cards on all the balloons which is fun and free. The museums shop sells merch from past events and local goods, I fully recommend checking it out if you come for the festival.

The festival receives a lot of visitors for those coming by car there are designated car parks with a free shuttle. For those by foot the train schedule is every 10-20 minutes just prepare yourself for a line and try to get there are early as you can. There is also a bus route which will involve a twenty-minute walk along Kase riverbank which will allow you to enjoy the balloons better. The best place to stay is Saga city or even in Fukuoka as the two cities offer a cheap return fare which allows you to use express trains.

The event is worth checking out even if it is just one day weather permitting. So, if you are planning a Fukuoka or Kyushu trip around the end of October, I would recommend checking out the event or one of the many that take place in Saga that weekend!