Nagaoka Kome-Hyappyo Fes ~Fireworks, Food, and Music~ 2026 DAY1 Live Report Part 1

The outdoor music event 'Nagaoka Kome-Hyappyo Fes ~Fireworks, Food, and Music~ 2026 (Kome Fes),' where visitors can enjoy live performances by prominent artists, Nagaoka Fireworks, and an abundance of food menus using local ingredients, was held on May 23 and 24, 2026, at the national Echigo Hillside Park in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. It was held concurrently with the 'Fragrant Rose Festival,' which showcases about 800 varieties and 2,400 rose bushes. With free admission to the food area and kids' park, many families and other visitors were able to enjoy the festive atmosphere. The festival continues to evolve with the aim of being an event that the whole family can enjoy for the day, featuring many first-time initiatives. For the finale's 'Nagaoka Fireworks,' following the restoration prayer fireworks 'Phoenix,' the audience was excited by 'Farewell Fireworks' synchronized with the song 'Genkai Toppa × Survivor' by Kiyoshi Hikawa + KIINA., who performed as the final act of the first day. As a new event initiative outside of music, comedian Obata no Oni-san appeared in the 'PERFORMERS' slot, performing his familiar gags and bringing laughter to the venue. Additionally, a 'Kids' Music Cafeteria' opened in the food area for children of elementary school age and younger, where they could enjoy all-you-can-eat local vegetables, fried chicken, and more for a single coin, attracting many parent-child visitors to the tents. This year marks the 8th edition of the festival, which started in 2018. The event curators are music producers Masanori Shimada and Akimitsu Honma. The heavy rain from the previous day cleared up as if it were a lie, and the wide blue sky welcomed the attendees. The MCs were the familiar Hiroki Ando and FM-NIIGATA radio announcer Sarina Honma. Ando exclaimed, 'Finally, Kome Fes has arrived! Banners are up at (Nagaoka) station, and it has become a staple Nagaoka event!' while Honma smiled broadly, saying, 'I'm glad the weather is nice today!' Ando reflected on the past bad weather, saying, 'Kome Fes has never been this sunny before. We've had rain, hail...' but looking up at the sky with a smile, he added, 'The staff members have been happy since this morning!' and shouted loudly, 'We'll have fireworks tonight too!' celebrating the fair-weather event. After 11:00 AM, Nagaoka Mayor Tatsunobu Isoda appeared. He explained, 'Nagaoka had quite a lot of rain until yesterday, but today is a rare clear May day. I would like to thank everyone that it became such a wonderful festival day. 'Kome-Hyappyo' (One Hundred Bags of Rice), which is in the title, is a phrase Nagaoka is proud of. When Nagaoka lost the Boshin War 150 years ago, we did not eat the one hundred bags of rice we were given, but sold them and used the money to support the education of children.' He shared the history of Torasaburo Kobayashi investing rice into children's education (human resource development) during the distress following the Boshin War. He revealed that there would be fun programs, including new attempts for the world-renowned Nagaoka Fireworks today and tomorrow, and declared the event open, shouting, 'Well everyone, let's get excited!' The stage featured a flag with 'Nagaoka Kome-Hyappyo Fes' written in white letters on a square black curtain. When the Kome Fes jingle, produced by DJ Matsunaga of 'Creepy Nuts' who is from Nagaoka, played like a fanfare, the alternative pop-rock band 'Crazy Wow Wow!!,' formed by four classmates from a music vocational school, appeared proudly as the top batter. As they thrilled the venue at once with their first song, 'Shonen Jidai' (Boyhood), drummer Rinoto Kawaguchi shouted at the end of the song, 'Are you high, Nagaoka!!' Vocalist Yuki Sugimura jumped onto the riser as if to peek into the cheering crowd and continued to goad them. In the MC session after performing 'Hissatsu Waza' (Special Move) without a break, Sugimura greeted, 'We are the top batter. We are Crazy Wow Wow!!.' To unite the thoughts of the fans not only in the area in front of the stage but also those watching the live show from tents in the back, they started a call-and-response with 'Say! Wow!!.' Sugimura laughed, 'There's music, fireworks, cows, and delicious food, so let's enjoy the day!' They joined their voices with the audience for '♪Ah, Viva Viva Viva' in the up-tempo, fast-paced sound of 'VIVA!!.' In the second MC session, Sugimura revealed, 'This is our first time in Niigata,' but smiled, saying, 'The weather is good and the wind feels nice. I'm looking forward to the fireworks tonight.' They shook the venue with the hot rhythm of their new song 'Shinzo Muscle' (Heart Muscle), which was released just three days ago. Fans, who heated up with one sound, were in high spirits, jumping and waving yellow towels with the band's name. Towards the end, they dropped 'Tontsukatan-tan,' which is currently going viral on social media. As Sugimura invited the audience, 'Nagaoka, let's sing,' the venue's sway increased with '♪Life is Crazy, Crazy Wow Wow!!.' The performance also featured individual highlights such as the off-beat-focused drums, Uchida's groaning bass, and Okumura's aggressive guitar.