New Cultural Arts Festival 'ARTE TOKYO' to Color Tokyo's Autumn and Winter Announces Program Lineup

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo International Festival of Culture and Arts Executive Committee will hold a new cultural arts festival, "ARTE TOKYO (Tokyo International Festival of Culture and Arts)," from Saturday, October 10, 2026, to Thursday, December 31, 2026.

ARTE TOKYO is a festival that brings together a diverse range of programs in Tokyo, including art, theater, music, illuminations, and entertainment, to depict each individual brilliance as the charm of the entire city. For its inaugural year in 2026, it will focus on the Waterfront Area, Hibiya-Marunouchi Area, and Yoyogi-Shibuya Area as core areas, developing numerous art and entertainment projects, including a revival of the Tokyo 2020 Games cultural program.

Today, marking 100 days until the opening, we announce the program lineup that will color this festival. We will introduce a variety of diverse projects, including those by numerous artists and creators, a contemporary circus project that uses the city as its stage, an art project set in Hamarikyu Gardens, one of Tokyo's representative Japanese gardens, and various events in different parts of Tokyo that will jointly liven up the festival, referred to as "Partner Programs."

Starting today, information on each program and participating artists will be sequentially released on the official website.

Please look forward to future developments.

Website: https://artetokyo.jp/

▪ARTE Core Program Artist Announcement

Talents from diverse fields such as contemporary art, architecture, and media art participate Tokyo's streets become a stage for creation

The "ARTE Core Program," the centerpiece of ARTE TOKYO, will unfold creations that leverage the unique characteristics and urban spaces of each of the three core areas: Waterfront, Hibiya-Marunouchi, and Yoyogi-Shibuya. Artists and creators from a wide range of fields, including contemporary art, architecture, and media art, such as Shinji Ohmaki, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Takuro Tamayama, mé, Yuuko Nagayama, Sou Fujimoto, and Rhizomatiks, will participate, with more to be announced sequentially. From internationally active artists to emerging talents who will lead the next generation, diverse talents will launch new expressions in the streets of Tokyo. Set against the backdrop of Tokyo, a city where rich nature, advanced urban functions, and diverse histories and cultures overlap, the project aims to draw out the charm of overlooked landscapes and places, and the hidden possibilities within the city, through works and projects that resonate with the memories of the land and the individuality of the region, creating a cultural experience filled with continuous discoveries and encounters as people explore the city.

【Waterfront Area】

Programs that intersect architecture, art, and technology will be developed, using the waterfront of Tokyo Bay and the urban spaces of the Tokyo Bay City. Elements unique to this location, such as wind, light, and the waterside environment, will be woven into the works to create new experiences specific to the Waterfront Area.

Participating Artists

・ Yasuhiro Suzuki

・ Ryosuke Yuasa + GROUP

・ Rhizomatiks

・ Yuuko Nagayama

・ Seiichi Saito

【Hibiya-Marunouchi Area】

Using the streets and plazas that symbolize Tokyo, and the scenery that shapes the city as its stage, this program will offer new perspectives on the flow of people and the use of urban space. It will open up new relationships with familiar places, creating new discoveries and ways of spending time in everyday life.

Participating Artists

・ exonemo

・ Kanon Sasahara

・ Yasuhiro Suzuki

・ Asako Fujikura

・ Tetsuo Nishizawa + Junpei Mori

・ magma

【Yoyogi-Shibuya Area】

Using the streets where diverse cultures and creativity intersect as its stage, this program will create a series of new discoveries and playful experiences. Within the densely populated urban space, it will stimulate people's curiosity and participation, opening up new ways of engaging with the city.

Participating Artists

・ ALTEMY

・ Koichiro Higashi

・ Shinji Ohmaki

・ GARAGE

・ Masamichi Shimada

・ Yasuhiro Suzuki

・ Takuro Tamayama

・ Sou Fujimoto

・ mé

▪Contemporary Circus Project Using the City as a Stage "ARTE TOKYO CIRCUS"

※Photos are for illustrative purposes only.

We will hold a new urban performance program, "ARTE TOKYO CIRCUS," which uses the streets of Tokyo as its stage.

Site-specific contemporary circus and street performances, which will also resonate with the art installations developed in ARTE TOKYO, will be presented in the three core areas: Waterfront, Hibiya-Marunouchi, and Yoyogi-Shibuya.

As director, we have appointed Michiko Tanaka, a leading figure in contemporary circus in Japan and an event producer for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Heaven Artist Project," which opens public spaces to artists. Through the surprises and discoveries born from the intersection of urban space and art, we will create a cultural experience that stimulates people's creativity and desire for new challenges.

Michiko Tanaka

Contemporary Circus Director

Representative Director, Setouchi Circus Factory

Official Member, Circostrada (Headquarters: France)

▪Art Project Utilizing Hamarikyu Gardens at Night

A special project will be held to commemorate the first ARTE TOKYO and the 80th anniversary of Hamarikyu Gardens' opening. Set in Hamarikyu Gardens (a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and a Special Historic Site), which offers a unique Tokyo landscape contrasting the traditional beauty of a Japanese garden with the skyscrapers of the city center, this project aims to create a new scenery with the power of art in the garden, which is normally closed at night, and to deepen interest in garden culture and understanding of history. Details of this program will be announced sequentially through the official website and other channels.

Event Period | Approximately 30 days between mid-November and late December, to be finalized.

Event Hours | To be determined within the range of 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM.

※The event period and hours will be announced later, following coordination with relevant organizations.

▪Announcement of "Partner Programs" to Jointly Enliven Tokyo in Autumn and Winter

ARTE TOKYO sought "Partner Programs" from those who sympathize with the festival's purpose and wish to jointly enliven Tokyo in autumn and winter, in order to expand connections with cultural and artistic programs held in various parts of Tokyo during the festival period.

We are pleased to announce 75 participating programs. These include Roppongi Art Night, Art Week Tokyo, and the Tokyo International Film Festival, as well as the diverse and rich cultural and artistic activities that Tokyo possesses. More participating programs will be announced sequentially.

ARTE TOKYO will visualize the diverse cultural and artistic activities unfolding in Tokyo at the same time by organizing and promoting these programs under five genres. As the entire city emerges as one festival, it will create encounters with cultures that previously had no connection and foster new interests.

The lineup of partner programs can be viewed on the official website. (Updated sequentially)

Partner Program List (in Japanese syllabary order)

EXHIBITION

Exhibitions and installations in art, design, crafts, architecture, etc.

Art Week Tokyo, Roppongi Art Night

PUBLIC ART

Artworks and installations developed in urban and public spaces

MUSIC & PERFORMANCE

Stage arts such as music, theater, and dance

Tokyo Performing Arts Festival 2026, Setagaya Art Town 2026 "Sancha de Daikugei," Beethoven is Amazing! The 24th Beethoven Complete Symphonies Concert Series 2026

MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

Screenings and exhibitions of films, videos, photography, media art, IP content, etc.

Tokyo International Film Festival

CITY EXPERIENCE

Interactive experiences such as illuminations, city walks, workshops, and markets

▪Event Overview / Implementation Structure

Event Name ARTE TOKYO

Event Period Saturday, October 10, 2026 - Thursday, December 31, 2026

Core Event Areas Waterfront Area, Hibiya-Marunouchi Area, Yoyogi-Shibuya Area

Organizers Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Tokyo International Festival of Culture and Arts Executive Committee

(Chair: Masanori Aoyagi (Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo, Director, Arts Council Tokyo))

Co-organizer The Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture

Supporters All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd., Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation

Media Supporters The Asahi Shimbun, J-WAVE, The Japan Times

The Nikkei, Nikkei BP, The Yomiuri Shimbun

※Sponsorship and donations are still being accepted. For details, please visit the official website.

Details: https://artetokyo.jp/ja/news/kyousan/

ARTE Creative Team

・Executive Producer Seiichi Saito (Representative, Panoramatics)

・Executive Scenographer Yuuko Nagayama (Principal, Yuuko Nagayama Architecture)

・ARTE Program Director Akira Aoki (Representative, Gei to)

・ARTE Program Director Kota Iguchi (Representative, CEKAI)

・ARTE Program Director Yamasan Yoshida (Representative, FLOATING ALPS)

・ARTE Scenographer Tetsuo Nishizawa (Principal, Tetsuo Nishizawa Architecture Office)

・ARTE Scenographer Junpei Mori (Representative, interrobang)

・ARTE Art Director Shogo Kijimuno (Representative, 6D)

・ARTE TOKYO CIRCUS Director Michiko Tanaka

(Representative Director, Setouchi Circus Factory)

・Hamarikyu Art Project Producer To be selected

▪Information on Each Program and Artist to be Sequentially Released on Official Website

Starting today, Thursday, July 2, information will be sequentially released on the official website of "ARTE TOKYO." We plan to continuously post information about creative initiatives that depict Tokyo's diverse charm, from new artworks by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to locally rooted events, as well as the artists who create them, including the "Partner Programs" that have confirmed participation. Please look forward to future updates.

Official Website: https://artetokyo.jp/

▪Event Name / Main Logo

Event Name

ARTE is derived from the Latin word "ARS" (skill, talent) and means "art" in Italian and Spanish.

At ARTE TOKYO, this word is interpreted as a concept where diverse fields such as Technology, Entertainment, Experience, Engagement, Ecosystem, and Encounter intersect, with art as the core.

By connecting and overlapping these, new experiences emerge in the city. Through culture and arts, the relationship between people and the city is opened up, and the city's charm is updated. This endeavor begins to move within the city of Tokyo.

Main Logo

This logo mark is composed using the outline of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a motif.

The lines created by once cutting out and reconfiguring the shape of the city represent a perspective that views the city of Tokyo as a "framework."

ARTE TOKYO is not a single event, but a "place" where diverse events emerge within this framework.

Various cultures and expressions intersect, creating new relationships and values. It is composed in the form of "parentheses" that embrace and hold this possibility.

The color is designed with a two-color gradient, as if layering the diverse elements that coexist in Tokyo, such as history and future, passion and intellect, technology and people, and art and entertainment, which is the origin of ARTE.

This connection of colors, without boundaries, represents the event itself, which encompasses the art, culture, and entertainment of Tokyo while crossing over different fields.

▪Overall Picture of ARTE TOKYO

※The events described on this page include names and planned events based on achievements up to last year. For this year's events, the official content will be announced by each organizing body.

▪ ARTE TOKYO Core Areas / Highlight Programs

※The events described on this page include names and planned events based on achievements up to last year. For this year's events, the official content will be announced by each organizing body.

Waterfront Area

An open urban space where the Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Tower, and skyscrapers color the city's brilliance, with Tokyo Bay as a borrowed scenic backdrop. The Tokyo Bay City, where entertainment content is concentrated, will be transformed into one large playground.

It will expand immersive experiences on a grand scale, in conjunction with the fountain show of "Tokyo Aqua Symphony," which began operation in March 2026, the "International Art Exhibition TOKYO ATLAS" held concurrently with this festival, and the "Illumination Island Odaiba," a seasonal event of the Tokyo Bay City.

In the contrast created by the sparkling waterside of Odaiba Seaside Park and the urban infrastructure of the Tokyo Bay City, light, water, and sound overlap, and the scenery changes with the passage of time. The sandy beach becomes a natural canvas, and the scenery changes as people spend time there. The bridge, where many people pass, will transform into an unusual space, further enhancing the extraordinary atmosphere.

※Processed based on Geospatial Information Authority of Japan maps (Highlight Programs) 1 International Art Exhibition TOKYO ATLAS 2 Tokyo Aqua Symphony 3 Illumination Island Odaiba 2026 4 Waterfront City Illumination *Event area under adjustment (map above is for illustration) 5 Odaiba Rainbow Fireworks 6 MEET YOUR ART FESTIVAL 2026

Hibiya-Marunouchi Area

A historic urban space where skyscrapers and greenery harmonize. This area, frequented by office workers, shoppers, and theatergoers, will be infused with a different scenery, creating new encounters and insights.

The glittering illuminations spread across the streets from Marunouchi to Yurakucho and Hibiya. Resonating with the art and cultural programs developed in Hibiya Park and along the KK Line (former Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway), special experiences will permeate the entire area.

In the scenery unique to this season, streets and plazas will transform from places of transit to places of gathering and lingering. The fixed roles of places will gently loosen, opening up new possibilities for the city.

The subtle sense of incongruity brought about by the scattered artworks will gently alter the flow of people, creating a circuit from street to street. By viewing the city from a different perspective, one can see urban landscapes that were previously unnoticed.

※Processed based on Geospatial Information Authority of Japan maps (Highlight Programs) 1 Marunouchi Area Illumination Decoration 2 Hibiya Magic Time Illumination 2026 3 Flower and Light Movement Hibiya Park 4 KK Line Art Event (tentative name)

Yoyogi-Shibuya Area

A hub for culture where youth culture and creativity intersect. In this city with high density of buildings and people, where information and sounds overlap, walking itself becomes an experience.

By connecting various locations scattered throughout the city, new perspectives and experiences will emerge along the flow of people. Encounters with art will occur as if blending into the bustle.

In response to the illuminations on Shibuya Koen-dori and Omotesando, which are the winter face of this area, Yoyogi Park will transform into an art space, primarily at night. By creating connections across the surrounding areas, the urban space itself will be expanded into a single stage.

Furthermore, the area around the "former Children's Castle site" will be positioned as another node, bringing to the surface the latent layers of the city. Discoveries will accumulate the more you walk. Encounters will continue to happen each time you explore the city.

※Processed based on Geospatial Information Authority of Japan maps (Highlight Programs) 1 Omotesando Illumination 2026 2 Ao no Doukutsu SHIBUYA *Currently, the 2026 event is undecided 3 Yoyogi Park x Creating Nighttime Appeal

▪Copy / Statement

Culture and art have the power to change the cityscape.

Tokyo's first international cultural and arts festival,

ARTE TOKYO.

It is a project that connects Tokyo by loosening the fixed relationship between people and the city through the power of art and entertainment.

Let's connect Tokyo.

Let's connect people and places, and create new connections.

Let's create unprecedented creativity.

Let's open up Tokyo.

Let's draw out the values that have been confined to each district.

Let's open up the regions and open up the city of Tokyo itself.

Let's play in Tokyo.

Let's all become protagonists, whether creators or viewers.

Let's play and enjoy the entire city, the entire Tokyo.

By connecting, opening up, and playing in Tokyo.

A cultural and arts festival with Tokyo as the venue,

Tokyo, as no one has ever seen, begins.