North America’s largest Japan festival returns to Ontario in one month

Japan Festival Canada returns to Mississauga’s Celebration Square from August 14-16, and admission is once again free. As the largest Japanese cultural event in North America, attendees can expect Japanese performances, cuisine, vendors and more. Headlining Japan Festival Canada 2026 is a performance by popular singer-actress Aika Kobayashi (Love Live!). Additionally, J-Rock trio Maru Take [...]

Japan Festival Canada returns to Mississauga’s Celebration Square from August 14-16, and admission is once again free. As the largest Japanese cultural event in North America, attendees can expect Japanese performances, cuisine, vendors and more. Headlining Japan Festival Canada 2026 is a performance by popular singer-actress Aika Kobayashi (Love Live!).

Additionally, J-Rock trio Maru Take Ebisu and idol group 5% Bermuda will make their Canadian debuts at the festival, while the winners from Japan’s Otogula Live music competition will also perform. Additionally, there will be dozens of food trucks and retail vendor stalls to peruse. The full list can be found on Japan Festival Canada’s website.

The exact schedule of performances will also be posted on the website closer to the festival. In the meantime, here’s a general overview of the show hours: - Friday, August 14 — 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (marketplace only) - Saturday, August 15 — 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. - Sunday, August 16 — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This marks the 11th Japan Festival Canada since 2016, and the show now welcomes more than 100,000 visitors annually.

Mississauga is also the sister city of Kariya in Japan and even has a park with that name accordingly. It’s also worth noting — since there will likely be overlap between attendees — that the timing of Japan Festival Canada works out quite nicely, since Fan Expo Canada runs from August 27-30 in Toronto. Image credit: Japan Festival Canada MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website.

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