14th International Red-White Singing Festival to Be Held in Minoh on November 29

14th International Red-White Singing Festival to Be Held in Minoh on November 29

The 14th International Red-White Singing Festival will be held on Sunday, November 29, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Main Hall of Minoh Maple Hall in Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture.

Under the theme “People from around the world sing in Japanese, while Japanese people sing in foreign languages,” the event is a singing festival that promotes international exchange and mutual understanding through music, transcending national borders and language barriers.

It is authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Consortium for Study Abroad in Osaka, the Japan ASEAN Center, and the Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad. The event has previously received coverage from NHK and major newspapers, and was also held during Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai last year.

Representatives from Los Angeles, São Paulo, and Toyoake city in Aichi prefecture

A key feature of this year’s event is that preliminary selections were held in multiple cities overseas and in Japan, with selected representatives gathering for the final event in Minoh. Selection events have already been held in Los Angeles, United States, and São Paulo, Brazil, and one representative from each city has been invited to perform in Minoh.

In addition, the “International Red-White Singing Festival in Toyoake Fuji Pan” will be held on November 15 in Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture. This event will bring together children from around the world and Japanese children to sing together, while also serving as a selection event for the 14th International Red-White Singing Festival in Minoh. A representative selected in Toyoake is also scheduled to participate in the November 29 event.

With representatives from Los Angeles, São Paulo, and Toyoake sharing the same stage, the event will connect musical exchange from North America, South America, and Japan.

A Multilingual Celebration of Music

Performers from countries including Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the United States, and Brazil will take the stage. The program will feature a wide range of genres, including anime songs, J-pop, enka, and famous opera pieces, divided into the traditional Red and White teams.

Japanese participants, mainly students from Osaka University’s Graduate School of Language and Culture, will sing in languages including Vietnamese, Russian, Thai, Portuguese, Chinese, and English. Meanwhile, foreign residents and international students living in Japan will perform Japanese songs, expressing the languages and cultures they have learned through music.

Special Performances

The event will also feature performances by selected dancers from the Kyoto Student Festival, a trombone medley of Michael Jackson’s classic songs, and appearances by Tatsuya Kitagawa, the Minoh J-POP Ambassador, who connects Minoh with the world through song and will serve as a host.

LITSUKO, a Minoh-based composer and singer who made her major debut in Europe and the United States in the 1990s and has performed more than 300 shows overseas, will also appear. A former bassist of the band Shonen Knife, she will deliver songs from Minoh to the world.

Event Details
Date and time: Sunday, November 29, 2026, 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

Venue: Minoh Maple Hall, Main Hall, 5-11-23 Minoo, Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture.

Admission: Free.

Organizer: International Red-White Singing Festival Executive Committee.

Official website: https://www.irws.org/

The International Red-White Singing Festival is more than a singing event: it aims to bring hearts together through the power of music and create a day on which performers and audience members can share hope for the future.