There are quite a few Halloween events in Toda City this year. I’ve chosen these three, because two are relatively big and the third is on Halloween itself. Which is actually quite a rarity in Japan, unless Halloween falls on a weekend. They all look fun, but I haven’t been to any of these events in the past personally. The third on the list has the most information, because initially this post was about that event. But I added the other two when their information finally came to light, on short notice, the week before Halloween!
Toda Halloween 2023
- Toda Halloween Festival 2023
- Boat Race Toda Halloween Festa
- Happy Halloween in Kamitoda
1. Toda Halloween Festival 2023
The Toda Halloween Festival is on Saturday October 28th from noon to 5 pm. They have candy for the first 300 children to arrive in costume. There are also live performances and food trucks on the day. In addition, children can participate in a chalk art event. They also have some workshops planned. The festival is held at the west entrance of Toda Station. Information in Japanese on the Toda parks website.
2. Boat Race Toda Halloween Festa
On Sunday October 29th Boat Race Toda will host a Halloween event in front of the Mooovi play area on the second floor. It costs 100 yen for adults to enter the boat race grounds, but as far as I am aware there is no charge for children. However, if the kids want to play in Mooovi you have to reserve a place in advance. For the Halloween event, they will have two parades: one at 11.30 am, the other at 2.30 pm. Young children (under 7 years old) in costume, will receive a present of candy. They have ‘one coin’ workshops on the day too. Official website.
3. Happy Halloween in Kamitoda
At the Kami-Toda Dream Festival a few weeks ago (in September), the organizers announced they would be having an Halloween event in Kamitoda this year. Its not a particularly large event, and truthfully, it is not the kind of event that I would normally share on the site, except that it is on actual Halloween, October 31st 2023. There are very few Halloween events on October 31st in 2023 as it is a weekday. While Japan has embraced Halloween, they have done it in their own way, and the vast majority of Halloween events are actually held on the weekend before Halloween.
The Kamitoda Halloween event is for small children. It is on between 10 am and noon on the 31st. They invite children in costume to try saying “Trick or Treat” at participating shops to ‘see what happens’. But they don’t elaborate on what that is! They have not yet posted the event information, just the announcement that the event is on. But they also had the event last year too and at that time they also didn’t reveal what the surprise is!
>>Find even more Halloween events for kids in Saitama Prefecture here<<
Information
Event: Happy Halloween in Kamitoda 上戸田ハロウィン
Date: Halloween, Tuesday October 31st 2023
Time: from 10 am to noon
Cost: currently there is no mention of a participation fee
Venue: the list of the participating shops will be released at a later date. They are all located in the Kamitoda Shopping district. They will post the list to their Instagram (on the official event poster) closer to the date.
Access
The shopping district is located relatively close to JR Toda Station.