On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, "NIGHT PICNIC 2026" opens at Higashi Yuenchi Park, a city park in Sannomiya, Kobe. The cultural program runs for four nights through Friday, May 29. With the opening just days away, here is a look at this year's highlights.
What is NIGHT PICNIC?
NIGHT PICNIC is an experimental program that began in 2018 to bring people together in Higashi Yuenchi Park after dark. It is organized by URBAN PICNIC, which runs the park's hub facility, with the aim of making the night park a place to spend ordinary time.
Rather than the extraordinary buzz of an event or festival, it gently amplifies the qualities the park already has — proposing a way to spend the evening as a kind of quiet, everyday ritual.
The 2026 Theme: "Dress Code: Unguarded"
This year's theme is "Dress code: unguarded — public nighttime play."
Once the schedule of work and leisure is over, the night opens up into freedom. Loosen the guarded outfit, pick up the bits of ease scattered around the city, and lie down on the lawn. The eyes and ears that sense comfort, the nose and tongue moved by good food — tonight, who you are is yours to decide.
58 Vendors, Rotating Daily
Across the four days, 58 vendors appear on a rotating daily schedule — bakeries, food stalls, craft beer, natural wine, coffee and baked sweets.
From bakeries like BREADMAN and RAGI, to craft beer from open air and Naminooto Brewing, natural wine from Viva vin VIVANT, coffee from Piece by Piece coffee, and food from FLOPPY BURGER HOUSE and drizzle — popular shops from across Kobe and Hyogo come together.
Since the lineup changes day by day, it's worth checking in advance which day your target drink or dish will be there. The daily vendor lineup is available on the event page.
13 Programs — A Night of Sound, Words and Movement
NIGHT PICNIC is not only about food. This year, 13 programs unfold across the park.
The sound installation "KANKYO DOT" by dublab.jp, "PARK TALK" welcoming designer Yuma Harada, "Haiku in the Park" hosted by poet Kei Iwata, and the dusk ambient set "Lawn Concert" — music, words and physical expression blend into the night park.
Some programs run every day while others happen only once, so check the dates of the ones that catch your eye.
NIGHT PICNIC in 2025
At last year's NIGHT PICNIC, the night park filled with people in their own ways — lying on the lawn, talking under the stall lights, listening closely to the sounds from the stage.
This year, too, an unhurried evening spreads across Higashi Yuenchi Park.
Event Details
- Name: NIGHT PICNIC 2026 (Round 1)
- Dates: May 26 (Tue) – May 29 (Fri), 2026
- Hours: 16:00–21:00
- Venue: Higashi Yuenchi Park (6-4 Kanou-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe)
- Admission: Free
- Organized by: URBAN PICNIC
For the full daily vendor list and program schedule, see the NIGHT PICNIC 2026 event page .
In Closing
For four days from May 26, the nights at Higashi Yuenchi Park are colored by "NIGHT PICNIC 2026." With 58 rotating vendors, 13 programs, and the theme "Dress code: unguarded" — why not drop by on the way home from work and take in the night park from the lawn?
