One of the three major festivals in Hakata, the Hakata Dontaku Port Festival, started on the 1rd. It was the first regular event in four years and the venue was crowded with many people.
After the Hakata Dontaku Port Festival was canceled for two years due to the influence of the new corona, it was held on a reduced scale last year, and this year it was held normally for the first time in four years.
At the opening ceremony, Hiromichi Tanikawa, chairman of the Fukuoka Citizens' Festival Promotion Association, gave a speech saying, "I hope that Dontaku will bring the energy of Fukuoka and the Japan to the future, and that it will be an opportunity for the future to open up significantly."
After this, people dressed in jinhaori and holding shamoji broke kusudama balls and played banzai to celebrate the opening of the festival.
In addition, on the stage set up in front of JR Hakata Station, participants danced and performed, and many people applauded.
A 69-year-old woman whose grandson participated said, "The liveliness has finally returned, and Hakata feels like Hakata because of the festival."
My grandson, who is in the second grade of elementary school, who came to see me with me, said, "My sister danced well."
From 2 p.m., the main attraction of the festival, the Dontaku Corps parade, was held on Meiji-dori Street in the center of Fukuoka City.
The Hakata Dontaku Port Festival will be held until the 1th with the participation of about 760,2 people from 2000 organizations, and a total of 4 million people are expected to come out over the two days.