Sendai Aoba Festival

Sendai Aoba Festival is held in Sendai City, the center of Miyagi Prefecture, on the third Saturday and Sunday of May.

With over 10,000 residents and almost 1,000,000 tourists participating every year, the festival is considered as one of the "Great Three Festivals of Sendai". The others include "Sendai Tanabata Festival" in August and "Matsutaki Festival of Osaki Hachimangu Shrine" in January.
"Sendai Festival" was the biggest festival held in Sendai in the era of the feudal system ruled by Date Masamune during the Edo period. The Aoba Festival was first held during the Meiji Period. These festivals were reborn in 1985, 350 years after the death of Masamune, as "Sendai Aoba Festival," which inherits spirits from both festivals.
The festival can be casually enjoyed by tourists with Yamabokos touring around the town, the Sparrow Dance and food stalls set up to offer delicacies unique to Sendai.