What Are Atami's Fireworks Over the Bay? Dates for 2026–27, Where to Watch and Getting Home
This guide is for visitors who want to see the fireworks over Atami Bay, known in Japanese as the Atami Kaijo Hanabi Taikai. It explains what the show is, how it started, the dates the city has announced for 2026–27, where to watch, and how to get home afterwards.
We used pages from Atami City and the Atami City Tourism Association. Both were read on 2026-10-04. The organisers say dates and times are plans and may change. Check the official pages again close to your visit.
What the Atami fireworks are
The tourism association describes the show as fireworks fired over the sea in Atami Bay. It began in 1952. It is not only a summer event: the association says it is held more than 10 times a year.
The bay is surrounded by mountains on three sides, in a bowl shape. The association says the sound of the fireworks echoes off the hills, much like in a large stadium. Atami City adds that the town rises around the bay like the stands of a ballpark.
Each show ends with what the association calls the "Great Aerial Niagara". It is not a set piece. It is a burst of silver shells fired from across the whole launch area, which fills the night sky.
Dates for 2026–27
Atami City lists these dates for the 2026 fiscal year. The dates still ahead as of 4 October 2026 are:
- Monday 12 October 2026 (public holiday)
- Sunday 25 October 2026
- Sunday 8 November 2026
- Monday 23 November 2026 (public holiday)
- Sunday 6 December 2026
- Friday 25 December 2026
- Sunday 21 February 2027 (added in June 2026)
Earlier in the year, shows were held on 26 April, 24 May, 20 and 26 July, 5, 9, 18 and 24 August, and 13 September 2026.
The shows run from 20:20 to 20:40. In July and August only, they start at 20:15 and end at 20:40. The association says the show goes ahead in rain. Both the city and the association note that the plan may change.
The association said the 2026 fiscal year dates were announced on 27 October 2025. To ask whether a show is on, the city lists the tourism association on 0557-85-2222, open every day from 9:00 to 17:00, with shorter hours from 29 December to 3 January.
How the fireworks began
The tourism association links the start of the show to a hard few years for the town. On 31 August 1949, high waves from Typhoon Kitty washed away more than 140 houses along the coast.
In 1950 came a fire in front of Atami Station. Ten days later, a large fire destroyed 979 houses in the town centre. Local people worked to rebuild. In 1952, fireworks were launched to reward that effort, and the tradition continued.
The association counts summer 2026 as the 75th year. It notes that this count refers to the show held every year on 5 August, which it organises itself.
Where to watch
The association says you can watch along the whole shoreline from Sun Beach to Atami Port. On foot from Atami Station, it gives about 15 minutes to Sun Beach and about 20 minutes to the first section of Shinsui Park.
It expects the first section of Shinsui Park to be crowded. It suggests the sand at Sun Beach instead, because you can see the whole launch area from there.
- Saving spots with sheets in the first section of Shinsui Park is not allowed on show days. Sheets left there are removed.
- The Moon Terrace in Shinsui Park is closed during the show.
- A viewing space for wheelchair users is set up in the first section of Shinsui Park, on the Sun Beach side.
- In 2026, there were no paid seats. In July and August, some areas were kept for guests of member hotels of the local hotel and ryokan cooperative.
The announcements during the show can be heard at Shinsui Park and Sun Beach. They are also broadcast on the local community FM station at 79.6 MHz.
The association lists about 15 stalls in and around the first section of Shinsui Park on every show date. From April to December, a food and drink event runs in the park's event square on show days, from 15:00 to 21:00.
Rules on show days
- From noon on the day, the area near the launch site is closed for safety. The city and the association both publish a map of the closed zone.
- The fishing pier at Atami Port closes from noon.
- In July and August, traffic is restricted near Sun Beach during the show.
- If you watch from a boat, leave port before 20:00. Keep to the safety distance, and stay well away from the fixed fishing nets nearby.
- Streetlights are switched off when the show starts, so the area gets dark. Mobile phones may be hard to connect at times. Watch your children and your bags.
The city says summer shows draw more than 10,000 people on average. Follow the guards and staff.
Getting home after the show
The ticket gates at Atami Station get very crowded after the show. The city gives about 21:00 to 21:40 as the busiest time, and the association says until about 22:00. Both suggest leaving earlier or later than the crowd.
- Buy your return ticket when you arrive, or top up your IC card in advance.
- If you are heading towards Ito or Shimoda, board at JR Kinomiya Station, not Atami.
- Pedestrian controls may be in place around Atami Station when it is crowded. The association says the approach to the gates is split into lanes, with one for Shinkansen passengers only.
Car parks in town often fill early on show days, and leaving them can take time. The city and the association both ask visitors to use public transport. They also ask drivers never to park illegally, as it can block ambulances and fire engines.
What we could not verify, and therefore left out
- Dates for the 2027–28 season. They had not been published on the pages we read.
- Whether shows are cancelled for strong wind or high seas. The pages say "rain or shine" but do not state a cancellation rule. The association noted that one August show changed its launch site because of high waves.
- Whether the announcements or the FM broadcast are in English.
- Viewing spots outside the central bay, and the dates of fireworks in other districts for 2027.
Related guides
- How do you get to Atami from Tokyo or Haneda? Shinkansen, Odoriko and buses from the station
- How do you stay safe in Atami? Tsunami, landslides and heavy rain
Sources
All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.
- 熱海海上花火大会 (Atami City Tourism Association) — (what the show is; history since 1952; 2026 dates and times; viewing spots and walking times; stalls; seating; FM broadcast; closed zone; getting home)
- 熱海海上花火大会日程について (Atami City) — (2026 fiscal year dates and times; added date in February 2027; bowl-shaped setting; contacts; boats; closed zone)
- 熱海海上花火大会来場者へのお願い (Atami City) — (use Kinomiya Station; busy gates after the show; buying return tickets; parking; traffic restrictions; crowd numbers; lights off)