2026 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight from December 4; About 480,000 Lights on 127 Zelkova Trees along Jozenji-dori

On Jozenji-dori in Sendai City, the “2026 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight” will be held for 24 days, from Friday, December 4 to Sunday, December 27, 2026. A winter festival of light that began in 1986, it marks its 41st edition this year. About 480,000 LEDs light up 127 zelkova trees along Jozenji-dori. The lights are on from 18:00 to 21:00 Sunday through Thursday and from 18:00 to 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and also until 22:00 on Thursday, December 24. The theme is “A New Step: The Light of a Future We Create Together.”

Born in 1986: a year of “entrance” toward the 50th edition

Executive Committee Chair Hideki Aoki looked back on the event’s history in a greeting published on the official website on October 15. The Pageant of Starlight was born in 1986 out of the wishes of those who wanted to “brighten Sendai in winter” and turn “the City of Trees into a city of light.” He said it has not always continued smoothly since the first edition, having been affected by changes in the environment around the venue and by social conditions. 2025 marked the milestone 40th edition, and 2026 onward has been designated the entrance toward the 50th edition.

The greeting explains that in recent years, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising prices, there were periods when the event could not be developed as hoped because of redevelopment plans around Jozenji-dori. This year’s theme expresses the hope that people of different positions, generations and organizations will think about the region together, create new value and build a virtuous circle that makes use of local resources.

On the same day, October 15, the committee also began recruiting partners for “regional co-creation collaboration projects” with companies’ products and services. Examples include the joint development of limited products with light or zelkova motifs and tie-ins that encourage visitors to explore the city, such as limited courses at restaurants and accommodation plans at hotels. The call describes the number of visitors to Sendai during the event as being “on the scale of several million.”

Highlights: lights on the zelkova avenue and the “Starlight☆Wink”

The illuminated section runs along Jozenji-dori from in front of Sendai Mitsukoshi on the east side to in front of Jozenji Garden Hills Geihinkan on the west side. During the event, the “Starlight☆Wink,” in which all the lights go out for about one minute and then come back on at once, is scheduled for 18:30, 19:00 and 20:00 (times being finalized).

According to the event information on the official website, the lighting ceremony will be held from 17:40 to 18:00 on December 5 on the Jozenji-dori Greenway (in front of Sendai Mediatheque). The lights come on all at once at the end of a countdown, and the JGSDF Northeastern Army Band will give a concert at the same time and place. The band took part in the Pageant of Starlight with music from 1991 to 2009. Because the day of the week given in the information does not match the calendar, it is best to check the date of the lighting ceremony on the official website before going.

The “Winter Angels,” elementary school children from around Sendai who serve as guides, plan street fundraising, a handbell performance at the lighting ceremony and an ice skating performance.

Main events during the run

• STARLIGHT☆WINK CONCERT: Saturday, December 12, at 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00. A piano performance in front of the Sendai Jozenji Building

• Santa Hunt: Saturday, December 5, Sunday, December 6, Saturday, December 19, Sunday, December 20, Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25, 18:00–20:00, Kotodai Park. Find the three Santas hidden around the venue and collect stickers to receive light-up glasses (limited numbers each day)

• Starlight☆Castle: Friday, December 4 – Friday, December 25, Kotodai Park. A large castle-shaped structure that only people wearing a “Hikaring” can enter

• STARLIGHT☆ECHOES: On the special stage in Kotodai Park, a cappella concerts on Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13, and dance events on Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20

• Sendai Christmas Market 2026: Friday, December 4 – Friday, December 25, Nishikicho Park. Admission is charged on December 11–13, 18–20, 24 and 25, and a set of an admission ticket and a mug costs 1,600 yen

The “Hikaring” fundraiser and how the lights are supported

The Pageant of Starlight seeks donations from individuals and sponsorship from companies. Those who donate 300 yen or more receive an original item, the “Hikaring.” Wearing it brings benefits such as entry to the “Smile☆Deck” observation deck on the Jozenji-dori Greenway and to the Starlight☆Castle. With “Christmas Post,” those who donate 500 yen or more receive a postcard, and cards posted between December 4 and 22 reach the recipient on Christmas Day.

Street fundraising takes place every Sunday from October 25 to December 13, 13:00–15:00, in front of Fujisaki and Sendai Mitsukoshi. Crowdfunding also runs from late October to December 28 (planned). Entries for the photo contest are accepted from December 4 to January 4, 2027, with the awards ceremony planned for February 28.

Access

Jozenji-dori is a 1-minute walk from Kotodai-koen Station on the Namboku subway line. From JR Sendai Station, take the Namboku Line (toward Izumi-Chuo) from the West Exit and get off at Kotodai-koen Station. The official website asks visitors to use public transportation and also calls on them to take their garbage home, not to smoke while walking and not to use drones or other aerial photography equipment.

Editor’s perspective

In this 41st edition, after the executive committee chair referred in his greeting to the effects of redevelopment and rising prices, the Pageant of Starlight is newly inviting co-creation partnerships with companies. Alongside the annual lights of the zelkova avenue, the venue offers attractions that visitors enter by wearing a “Hikaring” obtained through a donation. It is worth noting that the festival builds in a mechanism through which visitors not only see the lights but also help support them.

Winter light events across Japan are introduced in [2026–2027] Winter Illuminations and Light Festivals Across Japan, and other December events in our December 2026 art event calendar. In Sendai, the two-person exhibition “Body, I’m Fine” by Seiran Tsuno and Kento Nito is on view at Sendai Mediatheque until January 11, 2027.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2026 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight, and what are the lighting hours?

It runs for 24 days, from Friday, December 4 to Sunday, December 27, 2026. The lights are on from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and also until 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 24.

Where can I see it?

On Jozenji-dori Avenue in Sendai, about 480,000 LEDs light up 127 zelkova trees from in front of Sendai Mitsukoshi on the east side to Jozenji Garden Hills Geihinkan on the west side. It is a one-minute walk from Kotodai-Koen Station on the Namboku subway line.

What is the “Starlight Wink”?

All the lights are switched off for about one minute and then turned back on at once. During the event, it is scheduled for 6:30, 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. (times are being finalized).

Overview

Name: 2026 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight (41st)
Theme: A New Step: The Light of a Future We Create Together
Dates: Friday, December 4 – Sunday, December 27, 2026
Lighting hours: 18:00–21:00 Sunday to Thursday, 18:00–22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, 18:00–22:00 on Thursday, December 24
Venue: Jozenji-dori (east end: in front of Sendai Mitsukoshi; west end: in front of Jozenji Garden Hills Geihinkan)
Scale: 127 zelkova trees, about 480,000 LEDs
Access: 1-minute walk from Kotodai-koen Station on the Namboku subway line
Organized by: SENDAI Pageant of Starlight Foundation, 2026 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight Executive Committee
Official website: https://sendaihikape.jp/
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

Winter light and snow events in Tohoku and Hokkaido are organized in our roundup of winter illuminations and snow lights in Tohoku and Hokkaido.

*Top image: The 2025 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight (from a press release by Nikken Corporation)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from the 2026 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight Executive Committee (October 15, 2026) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team