Gagaku is performed at several court functions at the Imperial Palace, at State Dinners and on the occasion of the Spring and Autumn Garden Parties. In addition, in 1956, in order to open Gagaku to a wider cultural audience and wider cross section of the public, a bi-annual spring and autumn Gagaku recital was instituted by the Music Department of the Imperial Household. In the spring, cultural groups and resident diplomatic corps, and in the autumn, applicants through newspaper, radio and other media attend performances for three days at the Imperial Palace. In addition, the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the prefectural Boards of Education request a bi-annual performance around the regions of Japan, and there is also a performance of Gagaku almost once a year at the National Theater of Japan.