This weekend will mark Canada’s largest and longest-running celebration of Japanese Canadian arts and culture, the Powell Street Festival, which began in 1977 and has grown into one of Canada’s largest and most enduring community arts festivals. This is the 48th year of the Powell Street Festival, held in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, offering a plethora of free activities and entertainment. The festival takes place from August 3-4.
The Powell Street Festival is a free two-day event held in Vancouver’s historic Japanese Canadian neighbourhood, attracting over 23,000 attendees each year. It features a diverse range of activities, including dance, music, film, visual arts, martial arts demonstrations, sumo tournaments, children’s activities, walking tours, craft vendors, traditional displays, and Japanese food. The festival serves as a platform for Japanese Canadians to showcase their talents and gain recognition.
The festival is held in the Paueru Gai neighbourhood, which has historical significance as a former hub of the Japanese-Canadian community. The event features Japanese food and craft vendors on Alexander Street and Jackson and Dunlevy avenues, as well as live performances on two outdoor stages. Attendees can enjoy taiko drumming, live sumo wrestling, and activities for all ages in Oppenheimer Park. The festival boasts 40 live performances from various genres on three stages.
This year’s festival will include free live performances at landmarks like Vancouver’s Buddhist temple and the Vancouver Japanese Language School. Among the highlights is IzumonookunI, a dance performance inspired by Izumo no Okuni, the 17th-century founder of kabuki, a Japanese dance-drama form. Choreographer Aretha Aoki and sound designer Ryan MacDonald will bring Okuni to life as a punk/synthwave/glam-goth figure, aiming to honour the origins of kabuki while creating new connections. Michiyo Kagami will perform daikagura, an art form that combines dance and juggling, at Vancouver’s Firehall Arts Centre. The weekend festival will also feature a musical performance from the popular J-pop group EPITHYMiA, who will be making a stop in Vancouver before beginning their North American tour. Additionally, there will be performances from local shoegaze Asian-Canadian pop artist Foxgloves.
The Powell Street Festival Society is a non-profit charity in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and operates on the unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam Nations. Besides the annual festival, the Society offers year-round programs and collaborates with various organizations and artists to promote equity and well-being.
Source: The Tyee
