The Gion Festival (祇園祭 Gion Matsuri) takes place annually in Kyoto and is one of the most famous festivals in Japan. It goes for the entire month of July and is crowned by a parade, the Yamaboko Junkō (山鉾巡行) on July 17 and July 24. It takes its name from Kyoto’s Gion district.
Kyoto’s downtown area is reserved for pedestrian traffic on the three nights leading up to the massive parade. These nights are known as yoiyama (宵山) on July 16 and July 23, yoiyoiyama (宵々山) on July 15 and July 22, and yoiyoiyoiyama (宵々々山) on July 14 and July 21. The streets are lined with night stalls selling food such as yakitori (barbecued chicken skewers), taiyaki, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, traditional Japanese sweets, and many other culinary delights. Many girls dressed in yukata (summer kimono) walk around the area, carrying with them traditional purses and paper fans. WIKI
During the yoiyama evenings leading up to the parade, some private houses in the old kimono merchant district open their entryways to the public, exhibiting valuable family heirlooms, in a custom known as the Byōbu Matsuri, or Folding Screen Festival. This is a precious opportunity to visit and observe traditional Japanese residences of Kyoto.
With the beginning of the garden, the Kyoto Prefectural Police carried out traffic control in Kyoto on 10~28th.
There is Shijō Street (between Kawaguchi-cho and Horikawa-cho) between the pearls and the high-chi-chuen, which is between 6 and 11 pm in the afternoon of 15th and 16th day of the festival (さ き ま つ り) Dedicated road.
Yamaguchi (や ま ほ こ) tour on the 17th, in order to match the time of the mountain, 8:00 am to noon afternoon after 2:10, four pass there are Hashimoto-cho, Royal pool pass the way to prohibit the passage of vehicles.
After the festival (あ と ま つ り) the Yamaguchi (や ま ほ こ) with the umbrella of the tour in the 24th noon before 8:30 to midnight 1:30. Yu Chitong pass with Furui-cho, Shijō Street will follow the implementation of vehicles forbidden passage.
For details, please go to the official website of the police station to confirm: http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/fukei/
Reference Source: asahi and WIKI