After three years, WMDF is up-and running again, with artists arriving by plane and train from within Japan also from overseas. The pandemic limited international opportunities, but here we are greeting our representatives from Lithuania at the airport.

Atalyja will represent our hopes that this year can be a step towards re-building, a culture of mixing worlds together in Hakodate.

The stages in Motomachi Park start tomorrow, but already WMDF artists are spreading entertainment throughout the town, wth our Outreach program that visits, well, places that invite us. This year kicked off with some local festivals and some residents associations. Hoping you have a great summer!

(Outreach photos by Glaretone. Park setup photos by WMDF staff)

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we regret to inform you that the following artists and stores have been forced to cancel their festival participation.

Festival Artists
Painter, Tokyo
Sukesan and Shu, Tokyo
MOGU FES Booths
Chinese Restaurant Rihaku (Deneb)
Street Corner Cafe Hakodatesaurus Bargon (Deneb)

We are sure that many have been looking forward to this programming: we are very sorry for the inconvenience, but we hope you will understand the situation.

We will continue to make every effort to deliver to you the best possible event.

Viewing From Motomachi Park

The fireworks display of Hakodate’s Port Festival was postponed because of rain. So, on Aug 4, townspeople may choose to view the event from Motomachi Park. WMDF will not be restricting to admission to Motomachi Park in any way, but due to preparations for our event some areas will be occupied by structures. For your safety, please do not touch anything.

Especially, touching the weights attached to fixtures is very dangerous. The balance of all structures is checked and approved by authorities, so they need to be left in their inspected state. Also, removing banners and streamers can cause harm, as they may be attached with specialized equipment.

We hope you can enjoy the display from this unique perspective of the festival grounds for the first time.