Overview
FestivaLight is the opening theme song of maimai MiLK PLUS, the second major content update to SEGA's maimai MiLK arcade series. Composed, written, and performed by veteran Japanese singer-songwriter Haruka Shimotsuki (霜月はるか), the track was released on June 21, 2018, as the flagship tune for the update. The game's promotional material playfully framed MiLK PLUS as the "second season" of a fictional anime, with FestivaLight as its opening theme.
The title is a portmanteau of "festival" and "light," and the lyrics depict a quiet town coming alive on a special celebration day, neighbors dressing up, streets adorned with colorful ribbons and flowers, the scent of fresh bread and tea in the air, and music drawing everyone into the square to dance hand-in-hand. At a warm 125 BPM, the song carries an upbeat but gentle pop energy that mirrors its message of communal joy.
The accompanying music video, produced by MiRA, features the maimai original mascot characters, Ras, Chiffon, Salt, and Otohime, enjoying a festival setting, with silhouettes of the duo Shama & Milk visible in the background. Within maimai itself, FestivaLight was later placed in the 10th Anniversary Area (10周年記念ちほー) as a quest song, sequenced between Believe the Rainbow and Magical Flavor.
Outside of maimai, the song appears on Haruka Shimotsuki's album "Otonoha letter ~Ame no Oto~" (おとのはレター ~Ame no Oto~), and it later crossed over into SEGA's companion rhythm game ONGEKI as part of the bright MEMORY update on September 15, 2022. On the chart side, FestivaLight's MASTER chart, designed by ぴちネコ, stands out for its unusually high Slide-note count (91 out of 592), giving it a sweeping, flowing quality that mirrors the song's festival-dance character.
Videos
Charts
STD
BASIC
4(4)
162 notesDesigner: -|Tap 148Hold 7Slide 6Break 1
ADVANCED
8(8)
272 notesDesigner: -|Tap 214Hold 26Slide 21Break 11
EXPERT
10+(10.6)
401 notesDesigner: はっぴー|Tap 315Hold 45Slide 36Break 5
MASTER
13(13.4)
592 notesDesigner: ぴちネコ|Tap 431Hold 42Slide 91Break 28
Trivia
- FestivaLight was created as the opening theme for maimai MiLK PLUS. The game's official promotion playfully framed MiLK PLUS as the second season of a fictional anime, with FestivaLight as its theme song.
- The music video, produced by MiRA, features the maimai original characters Ras, Chiffon, Salt, and Otohime enjoying a festival setting. Silhouettes of the mascot duo Shama & Milk appear in the background.
- In later versions of maimai, FestivaLight was placed in the 10th Anniversary Area (10周年記念ちほー) as a quest song, sequenced between Believe the Rainbow (previous) and Magical Flavor (next).
- The song was included on Haruka Shimotsuki's personal album 'Otonoha letter ~Ame no Oto~' (おとのはレター ~Ame no Oto~).
- FestivaLight later crossed over into SEGA's companion rhythm game ONGEKI on September 15, 2022, as part of the bright MEMORY update, where it received original charts by ものくろっく and みそかつ侍.
- The MASTER chart, designed by ぴちネコ, contains 91 Slide notes out of 592 total, an unusually high proportion that gives the chart a sweeping, flowing feel.
- Across successive maimai versions, FestivaLight's charts have been rebalanced several times. The Advanced chart rose from Lv7 to Lv8, Expert from Lv9 to Lv10+ (10.6), and Master from Lv12 to Lv13 (13.4).
- The lyrics describe a quiet town preparing for a festival: people dressing in their favorite clothes, streets decorated with ribbons and flowers, the aroma of fresh bread and tea, music flowing through the streets, and everyone joining hands to dance.
- The title 'FestivaLight' is a portmanteau of 'festival' and 'light,' reflecting the song's themes of celebration and brightness.
FAQ
- Who composed and sang FestivaLight?
- FestivaLight was composed, written, and performed by Haruka Shimotsuki (霜月はるか), a Japanese singer-songwriter known for her work in game music and the doujin music scene. The music video was produced by MiRA.
- Which maimai version introduced FestivaLight?
- The song debuted in maimai MiLK PLUS, released on June 21, 2018, as the update's opening theme song.
- What BPM is FestivaLight?
- FestivaLight has a BPM of 125.
- Who designed the FestivaLight charts in maimai?
- The Expert chart was designed by はっぴー, and the Master chart was designed by ぴちネコ. The Basic and Advanced charts do not have credited designers.
- What are the current difficulty levels of FestivaLight on standard charts?
- Basic Lv4, Advanced Lv8, Expert Lv10+ (level constant 10.6), and Master Lv13 (level constant 13.4). These levels have been adjusted multiple times across different maimai versions.
- What is FestivaLight about lyrically?
- The song celebrates a festival day in a small town. Its lyrics describe people dressing up in favorite clothes, streets decorated with ribbons and colorful flowers, the smell of fresh bread and tea filling the air, music drawing everyone together, and the community dancing hand-in-hand in a circle.
- Does FestivaLight appear on any album?
- Yes, the song was included on Haruka Shimotsuki's album 'Otonoha letter ~Ame no Oto~' (おとのはレター ~Ame no Oto~).
- Has FestivaLight appeared in other rhythm games besides maimai?
- Yes, it was added to SEGA's ONGEKI (オンゲキ) bright MEMORY on September 15, 2022, with new charts designed by ものくろっく and みそかつ侍.
External Links
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