The Bon Odori festival will be held this year for the 87th year in Seattle, and is a festival to celebrate ancestors who are gone but have paved the way for current lives.
The festival will take place over two days, and will feature dancing, cultural displays, food, live music, and more. Attendees are encouraged to join in the dances, and there are videos showing how to perform them. The dancing will go in essentially an oval on the streets to traditional music.
Many of the attendees wear traditional Japanese attire, including yukata, kimono, and happi coats. Traditional Japanese foods and refreshments will be available at booths, and there will be live demonstrations of martial arts and taiko – a variety of percussion instruments.
In the beer garden, a band named Two Story Zori will be performing both days. Known for their fusion of pacific island, reggae, rock, and melodic harmonies, the band is based in Seattle, and has performed in multiple states on the West Coast.
The festival is hosted at the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple, but will also spread to surrounding streets and the park across the way. Due to the large area this festival will cover, attendees should check for potential road closures and parking areas beforehand.
This type of event often uses banner printing and has a banner spread across the road or on the side of the building. The festival will take place on Saturday and Sunday, July 20 and 21, from 4:00 to 10:00 pm on Saturday, and 3:00 to 8:00 pm on Sunday.
