Hakata Dontaku Minato Festival

This traditional event boasts a history stretching back over 800 years. Its origins lie in a traditional matsubayashi event which is recorded to have been started in the year 1179 in the Chikuzen no kuni zokufudoki. The highlight is the festival's 20,000 person Dontaku parade. Starting with a performance of traditional Hakata matsubayashi music (designated a national Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property), the parade includes dances honoring the three gods of good fortune, traditional chigomai children's dances, and a diverse array of performances by Dontaku groups. The festival reaches its climax on the last day when a huge so-odori dance event is held in which all the dancers and spectators dance together while clacking wooden rice ladles.