A festival of academic and artistic pursuits where people from around the world visiting the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai can experience the charm of Nakanoshima, the symbol island of Aqua Metropolis Osaka

At the “NAKANOSHIMA PAVILION FESTIVAL 2025”, a festival of academic arts, they will hold an event where people can enjoy the diverse charms of Nakanoshima, a hub for culture, arts, and exchange.

At the festival, they regard to treat the world-class cultural facilities scattered throughout Nakanoshima as pavilions. Visitors can enjoy touring these facilities while simultaneously experiencing a variety of contents throughout the city, taking advantage of Nakanoshima’s unique characteristics, such as terraces along the river and performances on houseboats, which can only be experienced on an island surrounded by rivers.
With the opportunity of many people from around the world visiting Osaka, they aim to introduce the NAKANOSHIMA PAVILION FESTIVAL 2025 to a wide range of people visiting Osaka, including those who are interested in Nakanoshima and those who are unfamiliar with it, and to invigorate Osaka from Nakanoshima.

Origins of the project

Since the Edo period, when warehouses lined the streets, Nakanoshima has continued to prosper as the center of Osaka, making advanced efforts not only in the economy but also in culture and education.

There are precedents of creative cities where art and academic institutions, such as museums and theaters, and parks are concentrated on urban islands of world renown. Nakanoshima has been on par with them.
In March 2024, an executive committee consisting of 11 organizations and academic institutions was established to create an impactful “experience” that allows people to simultaneously experience the diverse attractions, collaborative values, and spaces and culture of Nakanoshima, which has been filled with various charms from its long history to the present.
In preparation for the event, we are planning various programs in an “All Nakanoshima” approach, collaborating with companies, related organizations, universities, and other stakeholders.

Project activities

They are planning various programs in collaboration with companies, related organizations, and universities to create a festival that accumulates and disseminates Nakanoshima’s cultural assets through the creative content of domestic and international artists.

Future prospects of the project toward EXPO2025 Osaka, Kansai

With the increased global attention on Osaka due to the Expo 2025 Osaka,Kansai, they hope that through the “NAKANOSHIMA PAVILION FESTIVAL 2025,” more people will discover the charm of Nakanoshima.
They aim to make Nakanoshima not only a destination for domestic tourists but also a “global Nakanoshima” where tourists from all over the world can enjoy culture and arts and where innovation can be born through communication. They will continue our efforts to develop Nakanoshima further as the “symbol island of the Aqua Metropolis Osaka.”