• Business Overview
• 22nd Kyoto Student Festival Annual Activities Introduction
• Contact Information

Business Overview

Main visual (by Himari Matsushita (3rd year student, Kyoto Seika University))

　The Kyoto Student Festival is a major student-led event that began in 2003 to enliven Kyoto with the power of students, and this year marks its 22nd anniversary. The Kyoto Student Festival is planned and managed by the Kyoto Student Festival Executive Committee, which is organized by students in Kyoto, and is backed by the “All Kyoto” system of Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, economic organizations, universities, and the local community, making it a rare initiative in Japan. The 22nd Kyoto Student Festival was held on Sunday, October 13, 2024. The day was blessed with good weather, and we were able to overcome the shortened schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rain, and hold the entire event under clear skies for the first time in five years. In addition, 121,172 people visited the event on the day, and more people were able to learn about the charm of “Kyoto, the city of students.” We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those involved and those who supported the Kyoto Student Festival for their warm support.

Theme of the 22nd Kyoto Student Festival

About the theme

　The 22nd Kyoto Student Festival aims to continue to evolve further under the mission of “building and passing on the future” so that the Kyoto Student Festival will be the 30th and continue for decades to come, by carefully inheriting the traditions and connections that the previous Kyoto Student Festivals have built up. In addition, we will
　not only inherit the traditions, but also keep in mind the willingness to take on new challenges and connect the 22nd festival to the future, and we will continue to work with the awareness that “everything we do at the Kyoto Student Festival will lead to the future of the Kyoto Student Festival.” We have incorporated such thoughts into the theme. The
　English version’s theme, “Bridge the Past, Build the Future,” is intended to have an emotional impact and resonance that transcends cultural differences and is intended to align with the perceptions of foreigners.

The 22nd Kyoto Student Festival

Implementation plan

Opening planning, parade	Kyoto Flame Mikoshi
The show begins! Kyoen Sodefure!	Kyoen Sodefure! Contest
National Dance Performance	Kyoto Student Music Award
Eat a bowl of rice and build the future! (Food project)	Corporate and government booths
Experience-based projects (exhibitions)	Experience-based planning
Grand Finale Planning	All dancers

◆ Results of various contests

Pre-event

We held two “pre-events” that incorporated some of the content of the main festival, which gave many people an opportunity to learn about the Kyoto Student Festival.

22nd Kyoto Student Festival Annual Activities Introduction

　The Kyoto Student Festival Executive Committee communicates with the local people in the Okazaki area, where the Kyoto Student Festival is held, and with the local people who have been connected to us through our activities to date, conveying our gratitude to them and building cooperative relationships for the main festival. In addition to the main festival, we aim to create a “festival” that is loved by the local community and has roots in the community, and we carry out daily activities with the local community throughout the year.

Dance performance and outreach classes

　We perform the original dance “Kyoen Sodefure!” created by the Kyoto Student Festival in various places, mainly in Kyoto Prefecture, and give lectures (commonly known as “on-site classes”) at various schools in Kyoto Prefecture, so that more people can experience the charm of Kyoen Sodefure! and the Kyoto Student Festival. In addition, by having university students interact with people of many generations in the region through dance, we also hope to revitalize the region.
　At the 22nd Kyoto Student Festival, we performed Kyoen Sodefure! at festivals and events in various regions, including an event to build momentum for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. We also had the opportunity to perform for tourists from overseas, and were able to convey the charm of the Kyoto Student Festival to people not only in Japan but also overseas. We also received many requests for on-site classes from schools that chose “Kyoen Sodefure!” as the event to perform at their sports day.

Community Exchange

　We participate in local festivals and other events to interact with children, and conduct nighttime patrols once a month to ensure the safety of the Okazaki area, where the main festival is held, and to deepen our interactions with the local people. We aim to revitalize the area, deepen our interactions with the local people, and work to make the Kyoto Student Festival known to more people in Kyoto. In addition, at the 22nd Kyoto Student Festival, we provided training to those involved in order to deepen their understanding of the Okazaki area and Heian Shrine, where the main festival is held.

International Exchange

　We are actively engaged in exchange activities with international students studying in Kyoto. We convey the charm of Kyoto to international students, and in turn, we learn various things from them, inspiring each other.
　At the 22nd Kyoto Student Festival, we held three exchange meetings for international students, deepening our exchanges with international students through “physical play,” “Kyoto Yuzen experience,” and “sports day.” In addition, we carried the “Kyoto Flame Mikoshi” together with the international students we met at the exchange meetings at the main festival.
　In addition, as a result of the Kyoto Student Festival’s performance at the “Kyoto Culture and Education Day in Hue” held in Hue Province, Vietnam in 2023, students from Hue University in Vietnam came to the 22nd Kyoto Student Festival and performed a dance at the Grand Finale.

Environmental Activities

　In order to reduce the burden on the environment as much as possible, we have been carrying out “KYO-SENSE” activities since 2007. The word “KYO” contains the meanings of “Kyoto” and “today” as well as “cooperation” between local people and students. “SENSE” has the meaning of “the sensibility of young people living today” and the main focus is to learn and utilize Kyoto’s traditional wisdom. We are taking
　environmentally friendly measures such as carrying out local cleanup activities and using environmentally friendly materials for original goods. In addition, on the day of the main festival of the 22nd Kyoto Student Festival, we took measures to prevent waste from increasing by using reusable tableware in the food planning and installing water dispensers.

Kyoto-Shiga SDGs Project x Kyoto Student Festival

　The “Kei-Shiga SDGs Project” is a project run by the Kyoto Shimbun newspaper and the three cities of Kyoto, Kameoka, and Otsu, along with supporting companies and students, with the aim of spreading awareness of the SDGs in Kyoto and Shiga prefectures. This year, the Kei-Shiga SDGs Project and the Kyoto Student Festival collaborated to hold the “Let’s Make Donburi Festival Together,” where the Kyoto Student Festival Executive Committee, Kyoto Municipal Murasakino High School, and Shiga Prefectural Otsu Commercial High School learned about the SDGs and came up with a menu. After a trial run, the high school students set up food booths on the day of the festival. Kyoto Municipal Murasakino High School offered “Chumoppa Donburi,” based on Korean cuisine, and Shiga Prefectural Otsu Commercial High School offered “Junjun Donburi,” based on Shiga Prefecture’s sukiyaki-style local cuisine. Proceeds will be donated to the certified NPO Second Harvest Kyoto. Click
here for the video →　https://youtu.be/0S-breirzqQ?feature=shared

We are currently recruiting new executive committee members!

　The Kyoto Student Festival is always looking for people to join us in our activities. Why not join us as an executive committee member and experience things you can’t easily experience in a normal university life? The executive committee also conducts training, which will help you improve your basic social skills.
　For more information about the Kyoto Student Festival, please visit the official website and official SNS.　　

Updated regularly!

Contact Information

The Consortium of Universities Kyoto, Public Interest Foundation Student Support DivisionTEL
075-353-9189 FAX 075-353-9101 Address:
Campus Plaza Kyoto, Nishinotoin-dori Shiokoji-sagaru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8216
*Reception hours: Tuesday to Saturday 9:00-17:00 (excluding New Year’s holidays)