The Gion Festival's Ato Matsuri float parade began in the center of Kyoto City on July 24, 2024. Under a gloomy sky, 11 floats decorated with hanging ornaments paraded through the streets of the capital in midsummer.
The parade took place on the opposite route to the Saki Matsuri, which took place on July 17. At 9:30 a.m., Hashibenkei-yama, which was leading the way without a lottery, departed from Karasuma Oike intersection in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City. Kitakannon-yama, which was also without a lottery, followed.
In front of Kyoto City Hall, at Oike-doriji-cho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, the chief envoy of Kuronushi-yama, the "first float," participated in the "lottery change" ceremony, where each float confirmed its order of parade. At both Kawaramachi Oike intersections in Nakagyo Ward and Shijo Kawaramachi intersections in Shimogyo Ward, a spectacular "tsujimawashi turn" (crossroads) performance was held in which the direction of travel was changed by 90 degrees.
