This spring, Okinawa's events calendar bursts into life with floral festivals, seaside fireworks and island celebrations. From dramatic night skies to sweeping fields of lilies, Visit Okinawa highlights a selection of not-to-be-missed seasonal events below.

Okinawa Bougainvillea Fair
When: until 6 May

A highlight of Okinawa's colourful spring calendar is the Okinawa Bougainvillea Fair, held until early May at the Southeast Botanical Gardens on Okinawa Main Island. The event celebrates one of the island's most iconic tropical flowers, with the gardens bursting into colour as bougainvillea bloom in vivid shades of purple, red and white. A particular highlight is the impressive eight-metre Bougainvillea Tower, one of the tallest in Japan, which is illuminated from 5pm, allowing visitors to enjoy the striking display both by day and by night.

Beyond the bougainvillea displays, the gardens feature over 50,000 tropical plants across around 1,300 species, as well as animals including capybaras, squirrel monkeys and rabbits, making it a colourful and family-friendly way to experience Okinawa's early spring.

A day pass providing access from 9:30 to 22:00 costs ¥2,850 per person (approximately £14) for those aged 14 and above and ¥1,200 (approximately £6) for children aged 4-14. Day-only and evening-only passes are also available.

More information is available here: https://visitokinawajapan.com/discover/events/okinawa-bougainvillea-fair/

Okinawa Zoo & Museum Flower Festival
When: until 6 April

The Okinawa Zoo & Museum Flower Festival will take place from 11 March to 6 April at the Okinawa Zoo & Museum in central Okinawa Main Island. Japan's southernmost zoo is home to around 1,000 animals spanning approximately 150 species, including endemic Okinawan wildlife as well as animals from across Japan and around the world. During the festival, the grounds burst into colour with sculpted flowering hedges resembling elephants, giraffes and other animals, intricate floral displays and a lively programme of performances and family-friendly activities. Admission is ¥1,000 per person (approximately £5) for those aged 16 and above, while children aged 15 and under enter free of charge.

More information is available here: https://visitokinawajapan.com/discover/events/okinawa-zoo-museum-flower-festival/

Ryukyu Kaiensai Fireworks Festival
When: 11 April

Summer firework displays are a cherished tradition across Japan and the Ryukyu Kaiensai Fireworks Festival is one of Okinawa's largest and the country's earliest major fireworks events. Held each April at Ginowan Seaside Park Tropical Beach on the west coast of Okinawa Main Island, the festival transforms the shoreline into a spectacular open-air stage, with thousands of choreographed fireworks set to music illuminating the night sky above the East China Sea. Highlights include displays designed by world-renowned fashion designer Junko Koshino and a special sequence inspired by Katsushika Hokusai's iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Tickets are priced from ¥5,000 per person (approximately £24).

More information is available here: https://visitokinawajapan.com/discover/events/ryukyu-kaiensai-fireworks/

Ie Island Lily Festival
When: 25 April to 5 May

Every spring, the Ie Island Lily Festival transforms Lily Field Park into a sea of white, with more than one million Easter lilies and over 100 varieties in bloom from late April to early May. Set on Ie Island - a compact island measuring just 23 square kilometres and located a 30-minute ferry ride from Motobu Port on Okinawa Main Island - the festival invites visitors to wander through vast floral fields framed by blue skies and ocean views. Alongside the blooms, guests can enjoy local food stalls and weekend events throughout the festival period. Admission is free and ferry services between Motobu Port and Ie Port are increased during the festival to ensure there are plenty of opportunities for travellers to experience this stunning natural spectacle. A complimentary shuttle bus also operates from Ie Port to the festival grounds.

More information is available here: https://visitokinawajapan.com/discover/events/ie-island-lily-festival/

To learn more about what's happening in Okinawa, please visit: https://visitokinawajapan.com/discover/events/

ENDS

About Okinawa:

Japan's southernmost prefecture, Okinawa, comprises 160 subtropical islands boasting a year-round warm climate comparable to Hawaii, Miami and Cancun. Less than three hours by air from Tokyo and 1.5 hours from Taipei, Okinawa is easily accessible. Blessed with incredible natural beauty - from lush forests to crystal-blue waters with abundant coral and golden sands - it is perfect for beach lovers and sports enthusiasts alike, whilst still appealing to culture seekers thanks to its unique history and heritage. Using the bountiful fresh local ingredients its natural environment produces, Okinawa's culinary culture is also unique and is believed to be a key factor in Okinawa's status as one of only five blue zones in the world recognised for longevity.

For further media information about Okinawa, contact: Be Okinawa - UK & Ireland Representative, Laura Boo: E: laura@humewhitehead.co.uk / T: +44 (0) 203 375 4056