The Sumida Art Festival (すみだ五彩の芸術祭) has announced its lineup and key visual. Running from September 4, 2026 (Friday) through December 20, 2026 (Sunday), this marks the first large-scale, multi-month comprehensive arts festival organized by a ward government among Tokyo's 23 special wards.
Five artistic directors — each bringing a distinct perspective — will lead programs exploring the land, people, and history of Sumida. Programming spans visual art, theater, dance, music, science, food, care, and neighborhood walks, offering a wide variety of ways to engage with the district.
Open Call Projects
The festival's open-call program received 264 applications, with 18 projects selected. The selected projects reflect diverse, community-driven collaborations between artists and the people and organizations of Sumida.
For details on selected open-call projects, visit the Sumida River Shinra Banzo Sumi ni Yume (commonly known as Sumiyume) website: https://sumiyume.jp/news-post/6609/
Key Visual
The key visual reconstructs the characters "墨田" (Sumida) using an arrangement of color planes. Each plane is randomly tilted, expressing the way the district's venues and spaces come alive through artworks. The design is responsive, maintaining its composition when proportions change across different media formats. Posters and banners featuring the visual are planned for display throughout the neighborhood.
Designer's Comment
The characters "墨田" have been deconstructed into color planes and reassembled as a graphic composition. Vivid colors serve as the foundation, with achromatic tones woven in to express "five colors" from multiple perspectives. The random tilting of each color plane evokes a sense of Sumida's places being animated by artworks, with exchanges and connections forming between them. A responsive design approach was taken so the composition holds up even as proportions change across various formats and media.
About the Designer
Kohei Sekida is a graphic designer based in Sumida Ward. His practice spans logos, advertising, editorial design, and signage across projects of all scales — from small local print materials to corporate branding. Local work includes the Hikifune neighborhood guide map, the Noud Hikifune logo, and event designs for the Sumida Modern pop-up events.
Participating Artists and Groups (Self-Produced Programs)
(Listed in Japanese alphabetical order; as of April 14, 2026)
Artists with disabilities and welfare facilities in the ward, Seiko Ito, xlab [Yasumichi Kakehi Laboratory, University of Tokyo], Hiroko Okada, Yoshiaki Kaihatsu, Sachiko Kazama, Tomoshi Kawata, Masumi Kura, Theater Company Tobira-za, Meiro Koizumi, Tomotaka Koizumi, Comoaui, Risa Sato, Sumiko Sawamura, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Masashi Takasuka, Dorita Takido, Haruna Nakayama, Mystery Sound Research Institute, Nande Sonna n Project, Nozarashi, Hydroblast / Kyoko Takenaka, Megumi Fukuda, Aiko Miyanaga, Ai Yamaguchi, Hirota Yamazaki, Kanji Yumisashi
Festival Overview
| Name | Sumida Art Festival |
| Theme | Five Colors of Sumida |
| Concept | Hakkiyoyo (Full Vitality) |
| Executive Director | Shingo Jinno |
| Directors | Aki Aoki, Yasuko Ogihara, Ryoichi Seimiya, Daisuke Mita |
| Dates | September 4, 2026 (Fri) – December 20, 2026 (Sun) |
| Regular Closing Days | Mondays and Tuesdays in principle (open when those days fall on public holidays) |
| Admission | Free (some venues and events may charge fees) |
| Website | https://sumida-artfest.jp |
| Organizers | Sumida Art Festival Executive Committee, Sumida Ward |
| Co-organizers | Sumida River Shinra Banzo Sumi ni Yume Executive Committee (open-call projects) |
SNS:
- X: https://x.com/sumida_artfest
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sumida_artfest/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/%E3%81%99%E3%81%BF%E3%81%A0%E4%BA%94%E5%BD%A9%E3%81%AE%E8%8A%B8%E8%A1%93%E7%A5%AD-61580684873152/
Venues
The festival takes place across multiple locations in Sumida Ward, including:
Kanegafuchi (entire area), Kikukawa 3-chome Community Hall, Former Sumida Elementary School Gymnasium, Kinshicho area, Commune X, Shirahige East Apartment area, Sumida River Terrace, Sumida Ward Social Welfare Hall, Sumida Ward Hikifune Cultural Center, Sumida Lifelong Learning Center (Utoriya), Sumida Triphony Hall, Sumida Park Gallery Sasaya, Sumida Park Theater Kura, Tachibana Taisho Folk House Garden (Former Koyama Residence), Taro Hachi, Community Activity Support Center Connect Base Sumida, Chiba University Sumida Satellite Campus, Tobu Museum, Noud Hikifune, Hikifune to Higashimukojima neighborhood streets, Hojo Komuten next door, Ryogoku area, and others.
