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Listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Yamakasa fills Hakata for the entire month of July. The climax is the Oiyama race on July 15 at 4:59 a.m., when competing teams sprint giant festival floats (kazariyama) weighing over a tonne through the old town streets in a breathtaking pre-dawn spectacle.
Held every May 3โ4 across central Fukuoka, Hakata Dontaku is one of Japan's largest festivals with attendance exceeding two million. Parade floats of mythological figures wind through the streets, while dance groups in traditional Hakata costumes perform at dozens of stages city-wide, accompanied by the distinctive sound of shamoji (rice paddle) percussion.
Fukuoka's Tenjin district hosts some of Kyushu's most elaborate seasonal events: vibrant Halloween street parties in October draw tens of thousands in costume, while December brings the Tenjin Christmas Market and spectacular LED illuminations transforming Keyaki-dori avenue into a tunnel of light.
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