Nara Park hosts Nara Craft Beer Festival on 3 October

Nara Park will host the Nara Craft Beer Festival from 3 to 4 October 2026 at Ukigumo Enchi, bringing a public food and drink event to one of Nara, Japan's best-known historic landscapes. The festival will gather breweries from Nara Prefecture and breweries with links to the region.

Nara Craft Beer Festival returns to Nara Park on 3 October

The festival is scheduled for 10am to 5pm on 3 and 4 October 2026, with last orders at 4.30pm. The organiser also plans a dedication ceremony at nearby Himuro Shrine from 9am on 3 October, before the festival opens.

Admission to the event is free. Visitors who want to buy craft beer must use the dedicated plastic cup sold at the beer booths, and the organiser says the cup costs ¥100. The programme is intended to bring together every craft brewery based in Nara Prefecture, alongside breweries from outside the prefecture that have a connection with Nara. The festival has been held since 2018 as a public event following the dedication ceremony. festival dates and venue are published by the organiser, while the Nara tourism authority listing places the event at Nara Park.

Nara Park's 511.52 hectares frame the beer festival

The festival is set within Ukigumo Enchi, one of the park's landscaped sections. That location places the event among lawns, free-roaming deer and historic sites rather than in a separate exhibition hall. The park's event spaces are part of a wider landscape that includes Todaiji Temple, Kofukuji Temple, Kasugataisha Shrine and the Nara National Museum.

Nara Park covers 511.52 hectares in the centre of Nara. Around 1,300 wild deer roam its grounds, and local tradition regards them as divine envoys of the god of Kasugataisha Shrine. Four properties near the park form part of the World Heritage listing Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, giving the October festival a setting where food, local brewing and cultural heritage meet. The official park guide describes the area's sections, deer and World Heritage sites.

The setting also explains the organiser's visitor rule about food. Deer should receive only the park's deer crackers, not festival food or drinks. Keeping food within the event area separates the beer festival's public programme from the care requirements of the animals that share the park.

Visiting Nara Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Nara Craft Beer Festival takes place on 3 and 4 October 2026 at Ukigumo Enchi in Nara Park, from 10am to 5pm, with last orders at 4.30pm.
• Admission is free, but beer purchases require the dedicated cup sold at the festival. The organiser says the venue has no car or bicycle parking.
• The venue can be reached from Kintetsu-Nara Station on foot or by Nara Kotsu bus from JR or Kintetsu Nara stations, using the stop for Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine.
• The park includes open lawns, wooded areas and paths shared with wild deer. Visitors should not feed the deer anything other than deer crackers, and should avoid approaching male deer during the breeding season.
• Japanese is the official language and the national currency is the Japanese yen.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

Searching for Nara Park on social platforms

These links open searches for Nara Park on each platform.

Frequently asked questions about Nara Park

When does the Nara Craft Beer Festival take place at Nara Park?

The festival takes place on 3 and 4 October 2026 from 10am to 5pm, with last orders at 4.30pm.

What is Nara Park?

Nara Park is a 511.52-hectare landscape in Nara containing historic temples, shrines, museums and around 1,300 wild deer.

Where is Nara Park and how do you get there?

The park is in central Nara, near Kintetsu-Nara Station and JR Nara Station. The festival venue is Ukigumo Enchi, reached by foot or by Nara Kotsu bus.