![[Held on Saturday, September 26] Mizushima Evening Garden ～ A park in Mizushima transformed into a special space with music and light](https://media.kuratoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/30183440/fc6927a4cd7fc6f068de9eb5d3ae4aff.jpg)
Even in September, when the heat still lingers, it becomes more comfortable to spend time outdoors as evening falls.
Enjoying a leisurely time, drink in hand, seated on a park bench or sofa. An event where you can enjoy just such an experience will be held in Mizushima on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
It is “Mizushima Evening Garden,” held at Mizushima Nishitokiwa-cho No. 2 Park.
This event is held every year in a park in Mizushima.
What kind of evening awaits in 2026? Here, we introduce Mizushima Evening Garden and its highlights.
The information presented was current when this article was published in September 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is “Mizushima Evening Garden”?
“Mizushima Evening Garden” began in 2016, planned and run by the Mizushima Revitalization Team, with the aim of improving Mizushima’s image and introducing people to local businesses.
Although the event was canceled in some years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been held almost every year in a park in Mizushima.
Take a seat on a sofa set out in the park at dusk, savor some food, and listen to music playing in the background. The event has continued with the hope of introducing people to a new side of Mizushima, a place strongly associated with its industrial area and nightlife district.
Highlights of “Mizushima Evening Garden” 2026
The theme and concept of “Mizushima Evening Garden” change every year.
The 2026 theme is “Music and Light”
A large piece of playground equipment is installed in Mizushima Nishitokiwa-cho No. 2 Park, the venue for this event.
So, about 100 bamboo lanterns will be placed around the playground equipment, with LED lights inside them. The venue will also be decorated by combining them with the “tipi,” a symbol of Mizushima Evening Garden.
A tipi (also spelled Tipi or Teepee) is a cone-shaped tent, and at Evening Garden it is set up as a symbol that adds color to the venue.
The playground equipment in the park, which people are used to seeing, is sure to look different when illuminated.
A stage for enjoying music and dance
The stage that livens up this event every year features live music and dance performances.
Along with the lively dancing by “Honiya Kurashiki,” formed as a team representing “Mizushima Yosakoi” at the Mizushima Port Festival, be sure to look out for the young dancers who have been practicing for this day’s stage.
You can enjoy performances for free by local performers as well as artists from outside the prefecture. Apparently, many people return every year to enjoy the live music.
Mizushima’s delicious food and high school students’ activities
Mizushima Evening Garden places importance on introducing people to local businesses through the event and encouraging them to visit the actual shops, so many of the vendors are businesses based in Mizushima.
This year (2026), bread developed using Tsurajima Lotus Root in collaboration between students from Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Kojoike High School and “BAMBOO BAKERS,” located in Mizushima Shopping Street, will also be available.
The students sampled five prototypes made with Tsurajima Lotus Root supplied by a local lotus root farmer.
Three varieties will be commercialized: “Tsurajima Lotus Root and Mentaiko Mayo Bread,” “Tsurajima Lotus Root Curry Bread,” and “Tsurajima Lotus Root Gratin Bread.” The finished bread is scheduled to be sold at Mizushima Evening Garden.
On the day, high school students will also take part as sales staff, sharing the appeal of the products alongside promotional signs they created themselves.
“Mizushima Evening Garden” is an event held every year in a different park in Mizushima, offering a chance to enjoy yourself locally without traveling far.
Interview with the organizers of Mizushima Evening Garden
We spoke with Ueda Mitsuhiko, a member of the organizing Kurashiki Mizushima Rotary Club and leader of the Mizushima Revitalization Team, and fellow team member Nishitani Katsuhiko about their thoughts on the event.
Lighting up the playground equipment and bamboo lanterns
This year’s theme is “Music and Light.” How was it decided?
Ueda (surname only)
We start meeting once or twice a month more than six months before the event, and the members discuss and decide on the theme at those meetings.
The venue for Mizushima Evening Garden changes each time, so the content and theme change depending on the location.
We have used Mizushima Nishitokiwa-cho No. 2 Park as a venue before, but last year (2025), new playground equipment was installed in the middle of the park.
So rather than thinking, “It’s difficult because there’s playground equipment,” we thought we should make use of it and combine it with lighting effects.
The bamboo lanterns have been specially loaned to us for this occasion by Chikurin no Schole for use at the Bamboo Lantern Festival. We plan to create a unified atmosphere throughout the park by attaching light bulbs to the playground equipment and combining them with bamboo lanterns and teepees.
Nishitani (surname only)
Each member has their regular job, so we work on preparations in between. It can be challenging, but it’s also fun to come up with a different format each time and try various things. We value enjoying the process of creating it, too.
Why Use Mizushima’s Parks as Event Venues?
Yugure Garden uses a different park as its venue each year. Why do you hold it in different locations?
Ueda
Mizushima has many parks where children used to play, but which are now rarely used. We want to use as many of these parks as possible and, first of all, let people know that “there’s a park here.”
We hope the event will encourage local people to keep using the parks afterward, too.
Nishitani
A park we used as a venue before was overgrown with grass and was hardly being used. But holding the event led to the park being cleaned up.
Afterward, when children came to play and I saw the park bustling with activity, I remember feeling happy and thinking, “Maybe we’ve helped a little.”
A Message to Readers
How would you like visitors to enjoy the event?
Nishitani
This year, with “music and light” as our theme, we’ll create a space that’s a little different from everyday life. We’d be happy if people could unwind there and find energy for the day ahead.
It’s an event that people of all ages, from children to adults, can enjoy, and we hope it will also help strengthen connections among local residents.
Ueda
We’d be happy if Mizushima Yugure Garden helps people discover that Mizushima has places and shops like these. Please come and visit.
From the Writer
“Mizushima Yugure Garden” transforms a park that people usually just pass by into a place illuminated by bamboo lanterns, where people gather to enjoy pleasant music and delicious food.
The event starts at 3 p.m., and the atmosphere at the venue changes as the day gives way to evening and then night.
You can watch the performances, sit back on a sofa and enjoy chatting or eating, or drop by whenever you like and spend your time as you please—that’s another part of Yugure Garden’s appeal.
Why not spend an evening that’s a little different from usual on September 26 at Mizushima Nishi Tokiwa-cho No. 2 Park?
Mizushima Yugure Garden 2026 Information
| Name | Mizushima Yugure Garden 2026 |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, September 26, 2026, 3:00–around 8:00 p.m. |
| Location | 9-10 Mizushima Nishi Tokiwa-cho, Kurashiki City |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Mizushima Yugure Garden 2026 |
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