Marunouchi Illumination 2026 from November 12; “Harry Potter” Magic Snow at the Marunouchi Building

The Marunouchi Illumination Executive Committee will hold “Marunouchi Illumination 2026” from Thursday, November 12, 2026 to Sunday, February 14, 2027. In this 25th edition, the roadside trees along Marunouchi Naka-dori Avenue, which stretches about 1.2 km, will again be decorated with champagne-gold lights. From the same day until Friday, December 25, Mitsubishi Estate will hold “MARUNOUCHI BRIGHT HOLIDAY,” a holiday program in collaboration with “Harry Potter,” with a lighting show around the tree at the Marunouchi Building. Lighting hours and other details will be announced in late October.

The 25th winter, brought together this year under the name “MARUNOUCHI BRIGHT HOLIDAY”

Marunouchi Illumination is an annual winter event in Marunouchi that reaches its 25th edition in 2026. According to Mitsubishi Estate, from this year Marunouchi’s winter initiatives will be brought together under the umbrella name “MARUNOUCHI BRIGHT HOLIDAY.” The illuminations, the Christmas market, and decorations and hands-on content throughout the area will be developed as a single program.

This year’s theme is “Harry Potter.” Mitsubishi Estate is developing the program under a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products. The press materials also mention that HBO’s new original series “Harry Potter” will begin streaming this Christmas.

The program is also linked with the metropolitan arts festival. MARUNOUCHI BRIGHT HOLIDAY is one of the highlight programs of the ongoing “ARTE TOKYO (Tokyo International Culture and Arts Festival)”. The festival runs from Saturday, October 10 to Thursday, December 31, 2026, and Hibiya and Marunouchi are counted among its three core areas.

Highlights: the lights of Naka-dori and the “HOGWARTS SNOW TREE” at the Marunouchi Building

The illumination is staged on the roadside trees along Marunouchi Naka-dori Avenue, which stretches about 1.2 km. This year, too, they will be decorated with champagne-gold lights. As of October 19, the numbers of bulbs and trees for 2026 had not been announced. In the previous year (2025), about 775,000 bulbs were installed on about 250 roadside trees in the area in front of Tokyo Station and along Marunouchi Naka-dori Avenue (both figures planned, according to the organizer).

Details of the illuminations in areas other than Naka-dori, such as in front of Tokyo Station, will be announced in late October. In the previous year (2025), the Gyoko-dori Illumination Executive Committee also lit about 36,000 bulbs (planned) on about 10 roadside trees in the center of Gyoko-dori Avenue (according to the organizer).

At the heart of the holiday program is the symbol tree “HOGWARTS SNOW TREE,” which will appear at Marucube on the first floor of the Marunouchi Building. A lighting show will be held in which the “magic snow” surrounding the tree sparkles with light to music from the “Harry Potter” film series. As of October 19, the times and number of shows had not been announced.

The decorations will extend beyond the Marunouchi Building to locations across the Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho area, including the Shin-Marunouchi Building, Marunouchi OAZO and Marunouchi Brick Square. Interactive content, monument decorations, limited-edition products at participating stores and pop-up shops are also planned, with details to be released in a second announcement in late October.

For the first four days, a related music program, “MARUNOUCHI SOUNDSCAPE,” will also be held. From Thursday, November 12 to Sunday, November 15, it will recreate the music culture of Harlem, New York, at Marunouchi Building Hall. The special program “Harlem Nights,” gospel concerts, street performances and DJ events will take place at Marunouchi Building Hall and on Marunouchi Naka-dori Avenue. It is organized by Mitsubishi Estate with the support of Chiyoda City.

Lighting hours: 16:00–23:00, until 24:00 in December

According to the official website, the 2026 lighting hours are 16:00 to 23:00, extended to 24:00 throughout December. On the opening day, Thursday, November 12, the lighting start time differs because of the lighting ceremony. From Friday, November 27 to Friday, December 25, the Gyoko-dori illumination is also lit, and the Marunouchi Street Park Christmas market is held on Gyoko-dori from 11:00 to 22:00.

The official website does not list any viewing fee. Dates differ by event: the holiday program runs until Friday, December 25 (excluding some content), while the illumination continues into the new year until Sunday, February 14, 2027. Check the official website for the schedule of the tree shows.

Access

The Marunouchi Building (2-4-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), where the tree stands, is described on Marunouchi.com as “directly connected to JR Tokyo Station.” The free “Marunouchi Shuttle” bus can also be used to get around the area. It runs about every 15 minutes on a loop of about 35 to 40 minutes that also covers Otemachi and Yurakucho. For inquiries, contact the Marunouchi Call Center (03-5218-5100).

Frequently asked questions

When does Marunouchi Illumination 2026 run, and what are the lighting hours?

It runs from Thursday, November 12, 2026 to Sunday, February 14, 2027. The lights are on from 16:00 to 23:00, until 24:00 throughout December (the start time differs on November 12 because of the lighting ceremony).

Where can the “Harry Potter” tree be seen?

The “HOGWARTS SNOW TREE” will be installed at Marucube on the first floor of the Marunouchi Building, with a lighting show set to music from the film series. MARUNOUCHI BRIGHT HOLIDAY runs from Thursday, November 12 to Friday, December 25 (excluding some content).

Editor’s perspective

Mitsubishi Estate headlined its announcement with the phrase “Marunouchi’s winter enters a new stage, as a ‘whole town.’” Layering the world of the film series and the framework of the metropolitan arts festival over 25 years of roadside-tree illuminations, it bundles everything from the building interiors to Naka-dori Avenue and a music program under a single name. It can be seen as an attempt to present winter nights in Marunouchi as time spent touring the whole district.

On the other hand, as of October 19, the lighting hours, show schedule and prices had not yet been announced. Other illuminations in Tokyo and the Kanto region are introduced in [2026–2027] Winter Illuminations in Tokyo and the Kanto Region. Christmas in Roppongi and Omotesando is covered in Illuminations at Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown 2026.

Overview

Name: Marunouchi Illumination 2026
Dates: Thursday, November 12, 2026 – Sunday, February 14, 2027
Lighting hours: 16:00–23:00 (until 24:00 throughout December; the start time differs on November 12 because of the lighting ceremony)
Venue: Marunouchi Naka-dori Avenue (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Prices: Not yet announced
Organizer: Marunouchi Illumination Executive Committee (Chiyoda City; the Council for Area Development and Management of Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho; the NPO Otemachi Marunouchi Yurakucho Area Management Association; Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.)
Concurrent event: MARUNOUCHI BRIGHT HOLIDAY “Harry Potter” Magic Snow Lighting Up Marunouchi (Thursday, November 12 – Friday, December 25, 2026, excluding some content; venues: the Marunouchi Building, Shin-Marunouchi Building, Marunouchi OAZO, Marunouchi Brick Square and other locations in the Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho area; organized by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., in cooperation with Warner Bros. Japan LLC and others)
Inquiries: Marunouchi Call Center (03-5218-5100)
Official website: https://www.marunouchi.com/pickup/event/10727/
*Information as of November 9, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: From a press release by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. (September 17, 2026; figures for the previous year are from press materials of October 20, 2025) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team