ZOZO and Chiba City to Co-Host 'NEO Culture Festival,' Led by High School Students, on August 1

Zozo Inc., the operator of fashion e-commerce platform ZOZOTOWN (Headquarters: Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture; CEO: Kotaro Sawada), in collaboration with Chiba City, will host the 'NEO Culture Festival' on Saturday, August 1, at Toyosuna Park and Aeon Mall Makuhari New City. The event will coincide with the 'Makuhari Beach Fireworks Festa 2026,' allowing high school students to present their newly created culture to a bustling audience.

The NEO Culture Festival is an event entirely driven by high school students from across schools and regions, who take charge of content planning and on-site operations. The student executive committee has adopted the theme 'NEO (New, Empower, Origin)' to push beyond traditional school festival formats and create innovative cultural expressions. As the overall director, ZOZO will support the students’ planning and operations, aiming to amplify this emerging youth culture and nurture it into a tradition that lasts for the next 100 years.

The festival will feature live performances by high school bands, wind ensembles, and dance groups selected through auditions. Special guest appearances include cast members from the Monday 10 PM drama 'GTO' (starring Takashi Sorimachi) on Kansai Telecasting Corporation and Fuji TV, as well as Kurara Nagatsu, a high school singer popular on social media. The MC duties will be split: comedy duo 'Barikata Yujokon' from Yoshimoto Kogyo will host the first half, and fellow Yoshimoto talent Hinata Mitsunaga will take over in the second half to energize the crowd.

Additionally, 10 special menu items created by students will be served via food trucks. Students will also decorate entrances, rest areas, and food trucks with their original designs, enhancing the overall festival atmosphere. The grand finale will feature a live concert by student bands and wind ensembles, followed by a mass sing-along involving all attendees, creating a powerful sense of unity.

Partner companies will also host experiential booths. Fujifilm will operate a photo booth using its instant camera system instax™ 'Cheki,' allowing visitors to print and decorate photos on-site. Taku Shokai Development, a company operating primarily in Chiba City, will install a curved mirror-style photo spot in collaboration with its city-walking app 'forPEACE,' designed to enrich local lifestyle and outings, helping visitors capture lasting memories.

This event is part of the 'Chiba City 900th Anniversary Commemoration Project,' reflecting the city’s desire to create new cultural momentum and community vibrancy for future generations. ZOZO, committed to regional collaboration and its 'FUTURE FOR YOU – Building the Future for the Next Generation' initiative, co-hosts this event to create a platform where high school students lead cultural innovation beyond school and regional boundaries.

Through this event, ZOZO aims to energize a special day in Chiba while fostering community-wide support for youth initiatives. The company hopes the 'NEO Culture Festival' will evolve into a new, enduring cultural tradition in Chiba City. Moving forward, ZOZO will continue supporting the challenges and growth of the next generation.

<Event Overview>

- Event Name: NEO Culture Festival

- Date and Time: August 1, 2026 (Sat), 14:00–21:00

- Venue: Toyosuna Park (1-12 Toyosuna, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 261-0024), Aeon Mall Makuhari New City (1-1 Toyosuna, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 261-8535 and others)

- Access: 10-minute walk from JR Keiyo Line 'Makuhari-Toyosuna Station'

- Organizers: Zozo Inc., Chiba City

- Admission: Free (Open to all)

- Official SNS: Instagram (@neo_bunkasai), TikTok (@neo_bunkasai)

<Event and Program Details (Planned)>

- Stage:

- Live performances: bands, dance, wind ensembles

- Guest performers: cast from the Kansai TV/Fuji TV Monday 10 PM drama 'GTO' (starring Takashi Sorimachi), and social media-famous high school singer Kurara Nagatsu

- MCs: 'Barikata Yujokon' (Yoshimoto Kogyo), Hinata Mitsunaga (Yoshimoto Kogyo)

- Food Stalls: 10 special menu items created by high school students, served via food trucks

- Venue Decorations: Student-designed decorations for entrances, rest areas, and food trucks

- Publicity: Students will promote the event through the official SNS channels (Instagram, TikTok), leveraging their unique sensibilities

Kurara Nagatsu, popular high school singer on social media

Sample of student-created special menu items

(※) Details of the 'GTO' drama cast members scheduled to appear on stage will be announced later via the NEO Culture Festival official SNS. Performers and program details are subject to change.

(※) In case of rain, the event will be relocated and modified to the event space inside Aeon Mall Makuhari New City. The event may be canceled in severe weather.

<Partner Companies>

- Fujifilm Corporation (Photo booth using instax™ 'Cheki')

- Taku Shokai Development Co., Ltd. (Photo spot in collaboration with their city-walking app 'forPEACE')

<Supporting Companies>

- Nissho Interlife Co., Ltd. (Venue decoration and food stall production)

- Rain Colors Co., Ltd. (Stage production and operations)

<About the NEO Culture Festival Executive Committee>

Fifty-four high school students from 13 schools, including those in Chiba City, have formed an executive committee that transcends school boundaries. They are divided into teams for stage, food stalls, decorations, and publicity, actively planning and managing the festival. Driven by the vision of 'a festival we’d be excited to attend,' they are taking full ownership from planning to execution.

<Comment from Nako Tanaka, Design Block, Branding Design Department, CI Division, Zozo Inc.>

As a company headquartered in Chiba, ZOZO values co-creating new value with the local community. The NEO Culture Festival was initiated to provide high school students with an opportunity to be creators, not just participants, as part of our next-generation support efforts. We believe that this summer’s experience—collaborating, experimenting, and building an event from the ground up—will become a valuable foundation for these students as they take on future challenges.

By holding the festival on the same day as the Makuhari Beach Fireworks Festa 2026, we hope more visitors will experience the creativity and energy of high school students. We also anticipate this will contribute to broader community vibrancy and highlight new attractions in the Makuhari area.

ZOZO will continue to energize our hometown of Chiba and advance initiatives under our 'FUTURE FOR YOU – Building the Future for the Next Generation' vision.