Tanabata Matsuri
Held from thursday to sunday of the last weekend in july, this is reputed to be one of the three biggest tanabata festivals in japan, and attracts up to 1.3 million visitors annually. the streets are strikingly decorated and bustling with festival-goers in yukata, centering around masumida shrine, and the festivities include a parade to dedicate local products to the shrine, bon-dancing - which anyone is welcome to join in, live music of all kinds, and the usual summer festival stalls and attractions.
Bisai fireworks festival
Held in august as part of bisai summer festival, some 5000 fireworks including some with blooms of up to 500m are released on the banks of the kiso river. if you can't get a spot at the site, a popular and convenient place to see the show is from the rooftop carpark of diamond city kirio mall 10 mins walk from jr kisogawa.