500 Drones Light Up Hanazono
Hanazono Rugby Stadium looks to the skies October 3–4 as 500 drones take flight in an ultra-low-altitude nighttime spectacle. Add a glowing bubble show, live entertainment and a free food festival, and one of Osaka's great sporting venues becomes an entirely different kind of arena.
Hanazono Rugby Stadium is famous for what happens on its grass. For two nights this October, the action moves into the sky.
Hanazono Drone Show Festa 2026 takes over the historic Higashiosaka stadium on October 3–4, sending 500 illuminated drones into the night above the arena. And rather than creating a distant display on the horizon, organizers are promising an unusually close encounter, with ultra-low-altitude flight designed to bring the formations dramatically closer to spectators below.
The main show is produced by RED CLIFF, the drone entertainment company behind large-scale displays at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. Hundreds of individually controlled points of light will move together above Hanazono, transforming the stadium sky into a giant animated canvas.
But the drones are only part of the spectacle. A Night Bubble Show brings together 10 performers for a combination of bubbles, colored light and music, adding another layer of visual entertainment inside the stadium. The two experiences are paired for spectators in the main S, A and B viewing areas, while lower-priced C seating provides admission to the drone show alone.
The festival begins well before darkness falls. From 16:00, the surrounding Fountain Square becomes a free-entry festival area, with around 20 food trucks joined by live artists, street performers and festival-style activities. That turns the evening into more than a 19:30 show: visitors can arrive in the afternoon, eat and explore the entertainment before heading into the stadium as night falls.
It’s a very different use for a venue synonymous with Japanese rugby. Hanazono opened in 1929 as Japan’s first dedicated rugby stadium and remains one of the sport’s most storied grounds, best known nationally as the home of the annual high school rugby championship. For one October weekend, however, the grandstands aren’t looking toward a try line. They’re looking up.
And getting inside matters. Because the drones will operate at unusually low altitude, organizers have established a protected flight zone and say the display cannot be viewed from the free festival area. A paid stadium ticket is required to see the drone show, with several seating levels offering different views and experiences.
The result promises to turn an Osaka sporting landmark into something altogether different: part festival, part light show and part futuristic nighttime theater — with 500 drones taking center stage above Hanazono.
Sky Takes Center Stage — Watch 500 illuminated drones transform the night above Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
Up-Close Flight — Ultra-low-altitude formations bring the drone spectacle unusually close to spectators inside the stadium.
Bubbles After Dark — Ten performers combine bubbles, colored light and music in a separate Night Bubble Show.
Festival Before Nightfall — Arrive early for around 20 food trucks, live performers and festival activities in the free-entry Fountain Square.
A Stadium Transformed — Experience one of Japan’s most storied rugby grounds turned into a nighttime arena of drones, light and entertainment.
Photos: Official Hanazono Drone Show Website
Maps
Contact
Opening Hours
THE SCENE: FAQ’s
ACCESS
Venue: Higashiosaka Hanazono Rugby Stadium
Address: 1-1-1 Matsubaraminami, Higashiosaka, Osaka 578-0923
Trains:
Kintetsu Nara Line → Higashi-Hanazono Station → approx. 10–12 minutes on foot
From Osaka-Namba, take the Kintetsu Nara Line toward Nara and get off at Higashi-Hanazono Station. From the station, head north toward Hanazono Central Park and follow the approach to Higashiosaka Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
Subways:
Metro Sennichimae Line → Namba Station ↔ Kintetsu Osaka-Namba Station → Kintetsu Nara Line → Higashi-Hanazono Station
From Namba, follow signs through the underground station complex to Kintetsu Osaka-Namba Station. Transfer to the Kintetsu Nara Line toward Nara and get off at Higashi-Hanazono Station, then walk approximately 10–12 minutes to the stadium.
Visitors traveling on the Metro Chuo Line can also connect with Kintetsu services via Nagata, but the Namba ↔ Kintetsu Nara Line route is generally the simpler option when coming from central Osaka.
SCHEDULE
Dates: October 3–4, 2026
Event Hours: 16:00–21:00
Main Show: 19:30–
The festival begins at 16:00, with the free-entry area at Hanazono Central Park's Fountain Square offering food and entertainment before the main nighttime spectacle.
Free Festival Area
- Premium Food Festa with approximately 20 food trucks
- Live music performances
- Street performers
- Festival-game booths and other activities
Night Bubble Show
Ten performers combine bubbles, lighting and music in a nighttime performance for spectators with S, A and B tickets.
Drone Show — 19:30–
The main attraction sends 500 illuminated drones into ultra-low-altitude formations above Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
A detailed running order for the live performances, street entertainment and Night Bubble Show has not yet been announced.
There will be no fireworks at this event.
TICKETS
A paid ticket is required to watch the drone show inside Hanazono Rugby Stadium. Because of the ultra-low-altitude flight plan and required safety zone, organizers state that the drone show cannot be viewed from the free festival area.
S Center Front — ¥5,000
Front-center seating for the Drone Show and Night Bubble Show.
SOLD OUT for October 3 and 4.
A Side Front — ¥4,000
Front-side seating for the Drone Show and Night Bubble Show.
SOLD OUT for October 3 and 4.
B General Admission — ¥3,000
General seating with access to both the Drone Show and Night Bubble Show.
C General Admission — ¥1,000
Lower-priced general seating for the Drone Show only.
Night Bubble Show not included.
Photographer Standing Stand — ¥6,000
Dedicated photography area. Tripods are permitted in this section.
Wheelchair Seat — ¥2,000
Dedicated viewing area for wheelchair users.
A ¥0 disability ticket is also available in association with B General Admission and requires accompaniment by a person holding a regular B ticket.
Early-Bird Discount:
B, C, Photographer and Wheelchair tickets are currently offered at 20% off through August 31, while limited discounted quantities remain.
Same-Day Tickets:
Same-day admission is ¥500 more than the listed advance price for ticket categories where same-day sales are offered.
Tickets are sold separately for October 3 and October 4 through LivePocket.
October 3 Tickets:
https://t.livepocket.jp/e/hanazono-drone1003
October 4 Tickets:
https://t.livepocket.jp/e/hanazono-drone1004
THE EXPERIENCE
Hanazono Drone Show Festa turns one of Japan's most famous rugby grounds into a nighttime arena of light, bubbles and aerial animation.
- Watch 500 illuminated drones fly in ultra-low-altitude formations above the stadium.
- See the night sky become a moving canvas of synchronized light created by RED CLIFF.
- Experience the separate Night Bubble Show combining bubbles, colored light and music with S, A or B admission.
- Arrive before dark for food trucks, live artists, street performers and festival activities in the free Fountain Square area.
- Choose a dedicated photographer area if you want to capture the show using a tripod.
The festival is designed as an entire evening out: arrive for the food and entertainment from 16:00, then move inside the stadium as darkness falls and the main spectacle begins.
INFO & TIPS
You cannot watch the drone show from the free area. The unusually low flight pattern requires a protected safety zone, and a paid stadium ticket is necessary to see the main performance.
The Fountain Square food and entertainment area is free to enter, so visitors without drone-show tickets can still enjoy the food trucks and daytime/early-evening festival activities.
If the Night Bubble Show is important to you, choose carefully when buying tickets. S, A and B tickets include it; C tickets do not. S and A tickets are currently sold out for both nights.
Photographers who want to use a tripod should purchase the dedicated Photographer Standing Stand ticket, where tripod use is specifically permitted.
The main drone show begins at 19:30, but organizers have not yet published the exact duration of the performance or a complete timetable for the Night Bubble Show and other entertainment.
Weather and wind can affect drone operations. The organizers have not yet published a detailed weather cancellation and refund policy for this event, so check the official website and Instagram for updates before traveling to Hanazono.
There will be no fireworks during Hanazono Drone Show Festa.
Organizer: Higashiosaka Hanazono Revitalization Management Joint Venture
Planning / Operations: HOS Co., Ltd. / Remic Co., Ltd.
Drone Show: RED CLIFF
Official Website:
https://drone-show-festa.com/
Official Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/hanazono_droneshow_festa/
