Official App for "Yamadera Hanagasa Festival" with Approx. 800,000 Spectators to be Offered at August 2026 Main Festival - Featuring 10 Functions Including Parade Live and Popularity Poll

The Yamagata Hanagasa Festival Executive Committee and DESIGN STUDIO K LLC (Location: 2-2-22 Fukamachi, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture; Representative Member: Hikaru Kitamura) will jointly announce the official app "Yamadera Hanagasa Festival Official App" for the "Yamadera Hanagasa Festival" scheduled for August 2026, which is expected to attract approximately 800,000 spectators.

This app is the only official app certified by the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival Executive Committee.

It is scheduled to offer a suite of functions for residents, participants, and tourists to enjoy the festival more deeply and safely during the main festival in August 2026.

[About the Yamadera Hanagasa Festival]

The Yamadera Hanagasa Festival is one of Tohoku's leading summer festivals, held annually from August 5th to 7th in the central part of Yamagata City. With the chant "Yassho, Makasho," approximately 10,000 dancers parade through the city streets holding hanagasa (flower hats), attracting an estimated 800,000 spectators.

It is one of Japan's premier citizen-participation festivals, featuring diverse performances such as traditional female dance, traditional male dance, creative dance, and hat spinning.

[Background of Development]

Despite being such a large-scale festival, its operation is handled by the volunteer organization Yamagata Hanagasa Festival Executive Committee, which has a structure that makes it difficult to employ dedicated digital personnel. Visitors have long expressed concerns such as "It's hard to understand the crowd situation and performance times."

Additionally, the committee faced an operational challenge in how to conduct a general vote for the new award system established this year.

The app's voting function, which allows anyone to easily vote for the groups they want to support, matched the committee's needs as a solution to this challenge.

On the other hand, when municipalities or volunteer organizations independently manage official apps, updates often cease, and many apps developed through outsourced, one-time development projects across the country are discontinued within a few years.

Therefore, DESIGN STUDIO K LLC, based in Yamagata City, will be responsible for everything from planning and development to ongoing operation with the official certification of the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival Executive Committee. Based on a sustainable partnership where a certain percentage of revenue generated through operations will be returned to the region, we will design a digital operation model from Yamagata that "nurtures the festival without stopping it." This app aims to be a pioneering example of "Festival DX" that can be expanded to regional festivals nationwide.

[Positioning of this App]

This app is the only official app officially certified by the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival Executive Committee.

For the first year (one year from the effective date of the certification), DESIGN STUDIO K LLC will provide planning, development, and operation free of charge. From fiscal year 2027 onwards, it is planned to transition to a sustainable partnership where the committee and the operating partner will return a certain percentage of revenue to the region.

The knowledge gained from this project is intended to be a model case for "Festival DX" in regional festivals nationwide.

[Scheduled Functions (as of the August 2026 Main Festival)]

*All are planned functions under development. Final specifications and release dates are subject to change.

Venue Map (Left) - Parade Live (Center) - Popularity Poll & Ranking Linked to Award System (Right)

Learn About History (Left) - Dance Practice Videos (Right)

Schedule (Timetable) (Left) - Group Encyclopedia & Favorites / Hanagasa Encyclopedia (Center) - Memories (Right)

Parade Live (Real-time location of groups on the venue map): You can check the real-time location markers of dancing groups progressing along the parade route on the map. By combining this with your current location display, you can also grasp your viewing position.

Venue Map: Official venue map where you can filter AEDs, restrooms, parking lots, and bus stops. The parade route can also be viewed on the map.

Schedule (Timetable): A chronological list of events for the 3 days from August 5th to 7th. It highlights ongoing performances and includes information on dancing groups and floats.

Group Encyclopedia & Favorites / Hanagasa Encyclopedia: You can filter groups by categories such as companies, regions, and schools, or by dance style, and register groups of interest as favorites. During the festival period, you can view the participation schedule and parade order of performing groups, and outside of the festival period, you can view dance styles and group introductions as the "Hanagasa Encyclopedia," all year round.

Popularity Poll & Ranking Linked to Award System: You can vote for groups you want to support during the festival period.

Dance Style Introduction: Includes instructional videos for three styles: traditional female dance, traditional male dance, and hat spinning.

Learn About History: Content that clearly explains the history and culture of the Yamadera Hanagasa Festival.

Memories: You can record your viewing and participation experiences with photos and comments. Recorded photos and comments are stored only on the user's device and are not posted or shared externally.

Announcements / News: Official information and updates from the committee and management will be delivered via push notifications. You can also view the latest news from the Hanagasa Festival official website within the app.

View Pamphlet PDF: The official pamphlet can be referenced within the app at any time.

[Future Announcement Plans]

Following the main festival, information on app usage and results will be released in a follow-up report.

[Future Schedule (Tentative)]

Period

Content

July 2026

Main Release (iOS / Android)

August 2026

Operation during the Yamadera Hanagasa Festival Main Festival (August 5th - 7th)

September 2026

Review and Follow-up Release

[Notes]

*1 This app has received official certification from the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival Executive Committee (dated June 16, 2026).

*2 For the first year (one year from the effective date of the certification), it will be provided free of charge without sponsor companies. The provision format for subsequent years will be decided through separate consultation.

*3 Parade Live is for reference purposes. There may be errors in the displayed location information. On-site postings, in-venue announcements, and instructions from staff at the venue always take precedence.

*4 The popularity poll within the app will be conducted as a means of general voting for the award system newly established by the committee. The aggregated results are based on voluntary user votes, and the final determination of awards and rankings will be based on the committee's regulations. Voting is possible once per day (a total of 3 times over the 3 festival days). Please check within the app for detailed voting rules.

*5 Photos and comments recorded in the Memories function are stored only on the user's device and are not sent to the operator's server (nor shared with any third party). When taking photos and recording, please consider the privacy and portrait rights of the subjects. For details, please check the terms of use and privacy policy within the app.

[Company Profile]

Item

Content

Location

〒990-2462 2-2-22 Fukamachi, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture

Representative

Representative Member: Hikaru Kitamura

Established

April 2021

Number of Employees

11 (8 full-time employees, 2 executives, 1 contract worker)

Capital

500,000 yen

Business Description

UI/UX design for digital products, brand design, website/app production, regional DX promotion

Phone Number

023-608-1178

URL

https://ds-k.site/

[Inquiries Regarding This Matter / Media Coverage]

Press / Media Inquiries (DESIGN STUDIO K LLC)

Phone: 023-608-1178

Email: contact@ds-k.site

Inquiry Form: https://ds-k.site/contact/talk/

App Malfunction / Support Desk (DESIGN STUDIO K LLC)

Email: contact@ds-k.site

Inquiries Regarding the Hanagasa Festival Main Festival

Yamadera Hanagasa Festival Executive Committee Secretariat

Contact: Ishizawa

Phone: 023-642-8753

Email: chiiki@yamagata-cci.or.jp