Moomin Day fireworks and celebrations annually on August 9th.
In 2019, Metsa Village had a popular fireworks called Forest and Lake and Fireworks. It may have become an annual event had it not been for the pandemic. They did actually have a variation of the event in 2020, but they had to cancel it in 2021. The fireworks came back in 2022, but with a new name. And going forward, they will now be on annually on August 9th for Moomin Day. The tickets for the 2023 event are on sale now (July 11th 2023). Moreover, this year (2023) there are also free “Saturday night fireworks” on select dates.
Moomin Day Fireworks 2023
The Moomin Day fireworks is just a small display, lasting about 20 minutes. However, it is a free event. But if you would like to have a reserved seat OR enjoy a barbecue under the fireworks, it is possible to book a ticket in advance. The tickets are already on sale as of July 11th 2023 and there are still seats left at both Nordic Square (reserved seat) and Hygge Terrace (barbecue). There is also a reserved area in Moominvalley Park, but those tickets are already sold out.
The fireworks are launched between 7.40 pm and 8 pm. The event is cancelled if there is rain. Since 2022, the Moomin Day celebrations are on for a full week – “Moomin Week”. In 2023, it is from Wednesday August 9th to Wednesday the 16th. They will have a special live show in Moominvalley Park for the occasion, as well as other special events. However, as of July 11th 2023, they have yet to release information about those events.
Metsa is a Finnish theme park based on the characters of Moomin. The Metsa Village area opened late in 2018 and the park was finalized in spring of 2019 with the opening of Moomin Valley Park.
Autumn fireworks
Metsa usually have fireworks in Autumn too. In autumn, the fireworks are launched over the lake from the forest from 7.30 pm to about 8.10 pm. It is usually around the time of the Metsa Village anniversary, which is November 9th. Santa Claus usually flies over from Finland for the occasion. The Metsa Christmas village usually starts on November 1st.
Metsa is located by the Miyazawa lake which is one of Saitama’s scenic Autumn leaf viewing locations. We timed it wrong last year, and missed the vibrant colors. However, Metsa is always picturesque thanks to the lake and forest. But adding fireworks to that combination will make for an Autumn night to remember!
Information and Access
Hours: Both Moominvalley park and Moomin shortened their hours during the pandemic. The Moominvalley park hours are near impossible to find on their website! But according to Google maps they are still using shorter hours – 10 am to 5 pm. Metsa seems to be open until 6 pm. However, due to the fireworks, they will probably open later on the night of the fireworks.
Cost: Metsa Village is free to enter. There is a charge to enter Moominvalley park. Prices went up dramatically during the pandemic. Pre-pandemic it was 1000 yen, now it is 3600 yen per adult for a ticket and 2200 yen for children. There is a 200 yen discount if you purchase a ticket in advance. There is no charge to view the fireworks from the Metsa side of the complex. However, they have said if the area is congested they may have to turn people away.
Access
By car: about 10 minutes from the Sayama Hidaka Interchange of the Ken-o expressway. Since April 2023 there is a charge for the parking lot again on weekdays (weekdays were free during the pandemic). Parking on a weekday costs 1000 yen, but the first two hours are free. On the weekend it costs 1500 yen, but there is no free period. Although the event is on a weekday, the parking may operate like on the weekends. That was the situation in the past, but they currently (July 11th 2023) do not have a notification on the website.
By public transport: A bus goes from Seibu Ikebukuro Line’s Hanno Station . It takes about 13 minutes and costs 200 yen. On foot it takes about 35 minutes to the park from the station.
Moominvalley park and Metsa Village are operated by Rights & Brands Japan.
Check out the free “Moomin Valley” nearby in the Tove Jansson Akebono Children’s Forest.