[Held on Sat., 9/26 and Sun., 9/27] Setouchi Lamb Festival 2026 ～ Enjoy two absolutely baa-rilliant days～

The event “Setouchi Lamb Festival,” which was hugely popular last year (2025), will be held in Kurashiki for the first time.

“Lamb” means meat from a young sheep. Events centered on lamb are quite unusual, aren’t they? Popular restaurants from across the Chugoku and Shikoku regions, as well as hugely famous restaurants from Tokyo and Osaka, will also be setting up event-exclusive stalls.

We spoke with Tanaka Sayaka (organizer of the Setouchi Lamb Project) about the event.

What is the “Setouchi Lamb Festival 2026”?

The “Setouchi Lamb Festival 2026” will be held at Kurashiki Ivy Square on Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27, 2026.

The first and second festivals were held in Okayama City, but this time the event moves to Kurashiki.

For details, please refer to the image below, the official Instagram account, or the official website.

Interview with Tanaka Sayaka of the organizing Setouchi Lamb Project

We asked Tanaka Sayaka of the organizing Setouchi Lamb Project about this event.

To begin with, what inspired you to hold this event?

Tanaka (surname only)

“We want to establish a culture in Okayama and the Setouchi region where people can enjoy lamb more often”—that is the idea at the heart of this event.

Through our work with the Setouchi Lamb Project, we’ve found that many people still think lamb has a strong, distinctive taste or associate it only with jingisukan, so its appeal is not yet widely known.

Lamb offers a wide range of possibilities depending on the cut and cooking method. It’s an ingredient with tremendous potential. We want to share its appeal together with people involved in restaurants, production, and distribution, and nurture it as a new food culture unique to Okayama and the Setouchi region.

That is why we hold the Setouchi Lamb Festival.

What is the concept or main attraction of this year’s event?

Tanaka

The main theme this time is “combining the appeal of Kurashiki with lamb to create a new image of lamb.”

We hope to share lamb as a more stylish and refined dining experience—not just as “lamb = jingisukan”—by inviting visitors to enjoy lamb dishes in the atmospheric setting of Kurashiki Ivy Square, surrounded by red brick and ivy.

Another highlight unique to the festival is being able to discover a variety of lamb dishes, each creatively prepared by different restaurants, all in one venue. We hope people will feel that “eating lamb itself is something special.”

What kinds of people would you like to see attend?

Tanaka

We’d love everyone to come, regardless of age—families, groups of friends, couples, and, of course, people who love lamb, as well as those who “don’t often get the chance to eat lamb.”

We also hope that people who come to enjoy a stroll or sightseeing in Kurashiki will drop by, not just those visiting specifically for the lamb festival. We’d be delighted if you added this event to a day spent enjoying historic Kurashiki, thinking, “Today, I’ll try some lamb.”

A message for our readers

Tanaka

“I didn’t know lamb could taste this good!” “I didn’t know you could make dishes like this!” We’ve continued this festival hoping to share such surprises and new discoveries with as many people as possible.

Together with the many restaurants, friends, and supporters, we want to create two days when Kurashiki comes alive with lamb. We’ll make it two days of eating, drinking, and laughing—days that leave you thinking, “I’m so glad I came!”

On September 26 and 27, come to Kurashiki Ivy Square with an appetite! Let’s enjoy two days surrounded by lamb together!

From the Writer

I visited the lamb festivals held in Okayama City the year before last and last year. Delicious aromas and sounds filled the air from every direction, and I remember having a hard time deciding what to eat.

Since lamb isn’t something many of us eat regularly, why not try it at an event like this?

Get handpicked articles from Kurashiki Tocotoco on LINE