Job Posting: IT Assistant

Job Opportunity: IT Assistant Temporary, through March 31, 2022 Powell Street Festival Society seeks a dedicated team player for the position of IT Assistant. This temporary position is a full-time position (35 hr/week) and will start as soon as possible and end March 31, 2022. Working with the PSFS staff and 3rd party consultants the … Read more

PSFS Receives Support for Workers in Live Arts and Music Sectors Fund Grant from Canadian Heritage

PSFS Receives Support for Workers in Live Arts and Music Sectors Fund Grant from Canadian Heritage Powell Street Festival Society (PSFS) is proud to announce the support of Canadian Heritage’s Support for Workers in Live Arts and Music Sectors Fund. The grant is designed to support the arts and cultural sectors in creating opportunities for … Read more

Powell Street Festival Society Announces two new Director Positions

Powell Street Festival Society Announces Two New Director Positions The Powell Street Festival Society is excited to share that the organization is growing! In our 45th year and eager to support this growth phase, we are pleased to announce a restructuring that will create two new positions from the existing Executive Director role: Director of … Read more

What’s New for the 45th Powell Street Festival

Welcome to the 45th Powell Street Festival!   We have adapted to public health restrictions and revamped programming so festival-goers can stay bubble-safe, yet connected to the historic Japanese Canadian neighbourhood!  Throughout the month of July, the festival website (www.powellstreetfestival.com) will be the hub for the country’s largest celebration of Japanese Canadian art and culture. We are … Read more

Community Partnership: Surrey Art Gallery

Announcing our Community Partnership with the Surrey Art Gallery The Powell Street Festival Society is pleased to announce our community partnership with the Surrey Art Gallery. The 45th Annual Powell Street Festival, taking place both online and in the historic Paueru Gai (Powell Street) neighborhood this summer, is partnering with the Surrey Art Gallery, who … Read more

Talking the Walk: Reflections on 360 Riot Walk

Talking the Walk: Reflections on 360 Riot Walk is a series of three free online panel discussions using 360 Riot Walk as an entry point to explore the history of anti-Asian violence and white supremacy in Vancouver.    360 Riot Walk is an interactive walking tour of the 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver that traces the history … Read more

Join our 2021 Annual General Meeting!

The Powell Street Festival Society’s Annual General Meeting will take place online via Zoom this year, Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 7:00 PM Pacific Time.  Please register through our Eventbrite link to receive your AGM package and Zoom Link.  Register Here Please note that Katari Taiko’s AGM starts at 6:30 pm, so please login early to support them too.     Also, your Annual Membership Top-Up is now available … Read more

Paueru Mashup Across Canada

Greetings, Courtesy of the 45th Powell Street Festival, we would like to invite everyone across the country to learn the Paueru Mashup, a taiko flashmob work that encapsulates the festival!  It’s a community dance that we can all learn and perform together one day!  Learn the dance online   and videotape yourself, then we will edit … Read more

Announcing the Stewardship of 360 Riot Walk

Announcing the Stewardship of 360 Riot Walk The Powell Street Festival Society is proud to announce its stewardship of 360 Riot Walk created by artist Henry Tsang. 360 Riot Walk is a multilingual interactive self-guided walking tour which invites participants to trace a layered history of Vancouver’s labour politics, anti-Asian racism, and community resistance in what is today the Downtown Eastside. This unique project interweaves the narratives of racialized communities, reclaiming how and what histories are told. … Read more

Join the Team!

The Powell Street Festival Society is excited to announce that we are hiring! Join our 45th Powell Street Festival Production Team and Staff. Current Openings Seasonal Production Coordinator – Due Monday, March 29, 2021 Production Assistant – Due Monday, March 29, 2021 Production Associate – Due Monday, March 29, 2021   Permanent Development and Administrative … Read more

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #6: Reconsidering Land, History and Belonging

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #6 Reconsidering Land, History and Belonging  Date: June 26, 2021 Time: 1PM – 3PM PST / 4PM – 6PM EST Free admission. Registration Required.  How can we fight against the dominant frameworks of capitalism and settler colonialism to conjure different futures? What does it mean to imagine new relationships to place? … Read more

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #5: The Changing Environment and Humanity

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #5 The Changing Environment and Humanity Date: May 22, 2021 Time: 1PM – 3PM PST / 4PM – 6PM EST Free admission. Registration Required. Global warming and environmental protection are big inaccessible topics that point to news headlines, oil companies, pipelines and government policy. Guest host Haruko Okano will facilitate a … Read more

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #4: Old Roots and New Relationships on Indigenous Lands

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #4 Old Roots and New Relationships on Indigenous Lands  Date: April 24, 2021 Time: 1PM – 3PM PST / 4PM – 6PM EST Free admission. Registration Required. Link to register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-paueru-gai-dialogues-4-tickets-148815333669 How can Japanese Canadians request the return of lost property in the Powell Street neighbourhood without perpetuating colonial practices? Guest … Read more

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #3: On Memory, Mythmaking, and Community Resilience

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #3 On Memory, Mythmaking and Community Resilience  Date: March 27, 2021 Time: 1PM – 3PM PST / 4PM – 6PM EST Free admission. Registration Required. Link to register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-paueru-gai-dialogues-3-tickets-143858989109 What, if anything, have we learned from our past? Are there ways we can harness this renewed sense of connection to heal … Read more

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #2: On Food and Culture for Community Building

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #2 On Food & Culture for Community Building  Date: February 27, 2021 Time: 1PM – 3PM PST / 4PM – 6PM EST Free admission. Registration Required. Link to register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-paueru-gai-dialogues-2-tickets-139560295601?aff=erelpanelorg Guest host erica hiroko isomura will facilitate a discussion with panelists Carmel Tanaka, Kage, and Ingrid Mendez de Cruz as they … Read more

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #1: Catalyzing Social Equity Through Culture and Connection to Place

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #1 Catalyzing Social Equity through Culture & Connection to Place Date: January 30, 2021 Time: 1PM – 3PM PST / 4PM – 6PM EST Free admission. Registration Required.  Guest host Izumi Sakamoto will facilitate a discussion with three panelists — Ayumi Goto, Kathy Shimizu and Terry Watada — as they share … Read more

Make a Wish with the Daruma

This past year has been a particularly difficult one, and we hope that 2021 has good fortune in store for us all. As you may know, darumas are seen as symbols of perseverance and luck. They’re also the unofficial Powell Street Festival mascot! The eyes of the daruma are initially blank. They are meant to be filled in on one side when a wish is made and only completed on both when that wish is fulfilled.  In the spirit of Powell … Read more

Notice of Special General Meeting Wednesday, October 14 6:30 pm PST (online)

Notice of Special General Meeting Wednesday, October 14 6:30 pm PST (online) An online Special General Meeting will take place to vote on an amendment to Powell Street Festival Society’s Constitution, making an addition to its purposes. To attend, members are requested to email [email protected] to register in advance and to receive a link to the online meeting. Proposed … Read more

Powell Street Festival Telethon raised $64,389 for the PowellStFest Community Kitchen Program!!

Thank you!! Due to the COVID19 health crisis, the 44th annual Powell Street Festival pivoted from it’s traditional in-person celebration to an online Telethon. It was a great success raising $64,389 (a ~322% increase over the initial goal of $20,000). The donations will fund our new PowellStFest Community Kitchen and help to scale the suite … Read more

Announcing: Powell Street Festival Telethon on August 1, 2020 from 2pm –7pm  

Banner of Powell Street Festival Telethon 2020

Celebrate Japanese Canadian culture while giving back to your community! Join us for a LIVE online telethon August 1, 2020 from 2pm – 7pm to watch live performances, highlights from previous festivals, appearances from festival vendors, and so much more. Tune in with your family and friends to experience the spirit of the festival right from your home! The Powell Street Festival Society (PSFS) produces the annual Japanese Canadian (JC) outdoor festival that takes place in the historic JC neighbourhood, Paueru Gai … Read more

The 44th Powell Street Festival cancelled as a public gathering event 

Due to the current COVID-19 crisis, the 44th Powell Street Festival is cancelled as a public gathering event. The Powell Street Festival Society (PSFS) board is directing its staff to follow public safety guidelines and to continue consulting with community stakeholders to reconceptualize a safe and innovative celebration of Japanese Canadian arts and culture. “Our festival is first and foremost, a celebration of community and culture.  We may not be gathering together physically but we … Read more