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San Francisco’s Japantown will celebrate one of its longest-running summer traditions this weekend as hundreds of dancers fill the streets for the 95th annual Bon Odori Street Dance Festival.
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San Francisco Bon Odori Street Dance Festival: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, July 26. Free. Buddhist Church of San Francisco, 1881 Pine St.
The free festival is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, outside the Buddhist Church of San Francisco. The annual event typically draws more than 1,000 visitors to the church and the surrounding neighborhood.
Bon Odori, a Japanese folk dance performed during Obon, is part of the Japanese Buddhist observance honoring ancestors and remembering loved ones who have died. Dancers traditionally move together in a circle around an elevated platform, following choreographed steps accompanied by Japanese folk songs.
Newcomers and experienced dancers are welcome to participate. Many attendees wear yukata, lightweight summer kimono, but traditional clothing is not required.
The festival will also feature performances by Ensohza, a Bay Area ensemble specializing in Japanese folk music, and Jiten Daiko, a San Francisco taiko group. Ensohza’s set will include vocals, bamboo flutes, shamisen and taiko.
Ginza Small Bites will serve food from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dating back to 1932, the gathering is among the country’s oldest and largest Bon Odori celebrations. This year’s edition also arrives as Japantown commemorates the 120th anniversary of the neighborhood’s founding after the 1906 earthquake and fire.
Similar celebrations are held throughout the Bay Area during the summer, generally hosted by Buddhist temples and Japanese American community organizations. Although each festival has its own food, performances and activities, communal dancing remains at the heart of the tradition.
Upcoming events include the Buddhist Church of Oakland Obon Festival on Aug. 1; the Palo Alto Obon Festival on Aug. 1-2; the Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church Obon Festival on Aug. 8; and BonPOP in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 30.
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This article originally published at Why hundreds of dancers will take over Japantown this weekend.