Sep 19 – Sep 20, 2026
JapanFest Atlanta 2026 at Gas South Convention Center
JapanFest Atlanta returns September 19–20, 2026 at Gas South Convention Center in Duluth with Japanese food, vendors, martial arts, anime, and cultural stages under the Timeless Japan theme.
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JapanFest Atlanta returns Saturday and Sunday, September 19–20, 2026 at Gas South Convention Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. Saturday runs 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The 2026 theme is Timeless Japan.
JapanFest Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, produces the festival with support from the Japan-America Society of Georgia and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia. Inside Gas South you get Ginza vendor street, local Japanese restaurants, martial arts demos, hands-on culture booths, anime programming with Momocon partners, gifts, and main-stage guests.
Confirmed 2026 performers include rakugo storyteller Katsura Sunshine, Junko Fujiyama, Sleep & Loop, Samurai Sword Soul, taiko group Matsuriza, Haruka Nakashima, Akua Shin, and Video Game Alliance. Lineups can shift; check japanfest.org the week of.
Who this is for: families who want a full convention-hall Japan day with food and stage programming, and anyone comparing Duluth's two big ticketed weekends. Skip it if you only want free parking-lot night markets; Lawrenceville International Night Market is free the following weekend.
The same Duluth dates carry the Korean Festival at Gwinnett Place Mall and the free Atlanta India Festival in Roswell. Many families pick one ticketed hall and one free fair rather than both conventions in one day.
Gas South sits off I-85 at Sugarloaf Parkway with paid event parking typical of Gwinnett convention weekends. Buy tickets online before Saturday morning lines.
JapanFest has run for decades as the Southeast's anchor Japanese cultural fair, growing from community booths to a full convention-center production with corporate sponsors and educational nonprofit status. Anime and Momocon partnerships pull younger crowds; martial arts and Ginza street keep multigenerational families on the floor all afternoon.
Our take: Saturday for the longest stage grid and vendor loop; Sunday if you want a shorter close at 5 p.m. Pair with Korean Festival across the corridor only if you have stamina for two malls in one day.
When: September 19–20, 2026 (Sat 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m.)
Where: Gas South Convention Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Duluth, GA
Tickets and schedules on japanfest.org.
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