The Keyaki Hiroba Beer Festival is one of the most popular and most successful bi-annual events at Saitama Shintoshin each year. It is on for five days in spring and five in Autumn. The festival was on in 2022 for the first time in three years, but there were quite a few changes. This year, 2023, they plan to have it more like a ‘normal’ year. However, unfortunately some of the changes they made during the pandemic will remain. For example, there was no children’s area again in the spring version. Furthermore, there was no stage area in spring either.
Last year’s biggest change was that you needed to buy a ticket in advance. Thankfully, that rule is gone in 2023. But there are areas that need to be booked in advance. For example, their swanky glamping area, which cost 24000 yen to book in spring! It included food and drink vouchers and up to six people can use the area for that price. Furthermore, it also includes a souvenir beer discount ticket worth 1200 yen. We have to wait to see the finer details for the Autumn event. As I update this on July 14th 2023, only the dates for the Autumn version are available. All other details will come later.
Keyaki Hiroba Beer Festival
For those that live in the area this festival needs no introduction, being one of the biggest annual events in Saitama Super Arena. Among its bragging rights is that it has the largest selection of craft beer of any beer festival in Japan. While the live entertainment and additional events were sorely missing from the 2023 spring round up once again, they did have a good choice of food! They plan to have lots of meat dishes and even international gourmet for the Autumn version too.
Until 2019 children were more than welcome at this event, but they have made a shift since the pandemic. They seem to be discouraging them now. Since last year, they now charge for people to bring in pushchairs (buggies / prams). What is back in 2023 for the first time in years, are areas where you can put down a picnic sheet. Much needed as the tables get whipped up pretty quickly. The areas where you can leave a picnic / blue sheet changes on weekends. You will find a map on the official website or at the event venue which will show you where.
Autumn 2023 Information
Event: The Autumn Keyaki Beer Festival 2023 けやきひろばビール祭り
Dates: from Thursday September 14th to public holiday Monday September 18th 2023.
Hours: from 4 to 9.30 pm on Thursday, from 11 am to 9.30 pm from Friday to Sunday, and from 11 am to 7 pm on the Monday.
Reserved area / Tickets: This year you don’t need to book a ticket in advance, but it is recommended. If you haven’t reserved a seat you may have to wait a long time on the day for a seat/s to become available. The reservation page to book won’t be open until later in summer. When it opens, you can generally also buy food / drink vouchers from the reservation page. If you buy the tickets in advance you save 50 yen! A ticket bought in advance costs 2950 yen for five 600 yen beer coupons and a 200 yen discount for souvenirs.
Cost: it depends on the time and date. The prices start from 1000 yen for a one person table to 4300 yen for a four person table (a good bit cheaper than last year). For that, you get some vouchers from which you can buy beer.
Access Saitama Shintoshin
The festival is on in the Keyaki Hiroba of Tamaari Town aka Saitama Shintoshin. (They tried to re-market the area as Tamaari town around 3 or 4 years ago, but it didn’t really stick! It is rarely called Tamaari town, most locals still call it Saitama Shintoshin!) Saitama Super Arena is one part of Saitama Shintoshin. Thus, sometimes they call the area Saitama Super Arena.
Address: Keyaki Hiroba, 10 Shintoshin, Chuo Ward, Saitama, 330-0081. Phone: 0486011122
Saitama Shintoshin Tamaari town is a 2 minute walk from JR Saitama shintoshin Station, about a 7 minute walk from JR Kitayono Station and there is parking available. However, the car parks are often crowded and costs 400 yen for the first hour and 200 yen for every subsequent hour.
Live updates on Twitter:
event/keyaki-autumn-beer-festival-saitama/ + event/spring-beer-festival-keyaki Last republish August 13th 2022, previous: April 11th 2022, September 1st 2016. Last update July 14th 2023.