Exhibition Opening for Return to Paueru Gai: 50 Years of Powell Street Festival March 26th, 2026 from 6:00 to 8:00pm Located at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre – 6688 Southoaks Cres, Burnaby, BC V5E 4M7 *SOLD OUT* The opening event has sold out but the exhibit will be on display through September 5th, … Read more
I Am the Art: Nobuo Kubota Film Screening: Thursday April 9th, 2026 7:00pm The Cinematheque 1131 Howe Street Vancouver At 92, Award–winning artist Nobuo Kubota was not slowing down, he was reinventing himself. Filmmaker Anette Mangaard helped share his latest creative focus; performance art. The film offers a bold and intimate portrait of a Japanese … Read more
2025 Festival Program Celebrate Japanese Canadian arts, culture, and community on August 2 & 3, 2025 Vancouver, BC — July 10, 2025 —The Powell Street Festival Society (PSFS) proudly announces the return of the 49th Annual Powell Street Festival on Saturday, August 2, and Sunday, August 3, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at … Read more
Pre-Festival Art Workshops in Oppenheimer Park Free Art Workshops in Oppenheimer Park Pre-Festival Art Workshops Tuesday in July, 8, 15, 22, 1:00 – 3:00 pm, Oppenheimer Park FREE, Drop-in Events Join us on Tuesdays in July, from 1pm to 3pm for pre-festival workshops in Oppenheimer Park! All materials will be provided. No experience necessary. All … Read more
Volunteer with Powell Street Festival Society – Make an Impact Year-Round! Volunteer Opportunity for Year-round programs Powell Street Festival Society (PSFS) is looking for volunteers not only for our annual festival but also for our year-round programs that support the Japanese Canadian and Downtown Eastside communities. Whether you’re interested in supporting communities in the DTES … Read more
48th Annual Powell Street Festival 48th Powell Street Festival Artwork by Nicole Larsen (https://rippleandrise.ca/) It’s official! The 48th Powell Street Festival returns on August 3rd and 4th, 2024! Get ready for a vibrant celebration filled with mouthwatering festival foods, one-of-a-kind craft vendors, captivating exhibitions, and dynamic performances! Plus, don’t miss out on our crowd-favourite lottery … Read more
Photos from the 48th Annual Powell Street Festival
“Sound of Dreams” Dream of Riches Inspired Soundtrack Project Onibana Taiko – (left to right) E. Kage and NoriNori Inspired by the images from the iconic Dream of Riches Collection, comprised of photos from JC community members and compiled by the late Tamio Wakayama, Onibana Taiko presents an immersive contemplation of our community ancestor’s lives … Read more
2024 Festival Program The Powell Street Festival, Vancouver’s annual celebration of Japanese Canadian arts and culture, is set to return August 3 – 4, 2024 from 11:30am – 7:00pm with a diverse spectrum of free events and activities for all ages. Centered in the historic Paueru Gai neighbourhood, the festival spans Oppenheimer Park (400 Block, … Read more
Children’s Sumo Workshop 2024 Register Here Join us for a morning of sumo training! These sessions’ aim to build confidence and safety around this popular Japanese sport in preparation for the Festival. Children ages 2-18, regardless of size, gender, or experience are welcome to participate. From 10-10:45 am will be ages 2-12 and 11-11:45am will be … Read more
IzumonookunI Blog Post Powell Street Festival Society is proud to be supporting the development of “IzumonookunI,” a multidisciplinary dance inspired by Izumo no Okuni, the 17th century cis-female founder of kabuki: a Japanese dance-drama form that currently contains little trace of its cis-female-centric, grassroots, counter-cultural origins. The following blog post is a reflection by choreographer Aretha Aoki on her motivations and ethos in … Read more
On Difficult and Necessary Conversations: An Update on Powell Street Festival Fall Programming This is a new kind of update, for Powell Street Festival Society (PSFS). It is shaped by the increasingly volatile times through which we are living. We summarize the ‘takeaways’ of our update in the paragraph below, but encourage you to read … Read more
Photos from the 47th Annual Powell Street Festival
Paueru Mashup Dance Lessons 2023 Join us this summer for in-person Paueru Mashup Dance lessons at Oppenheimer Park. The Paueru Mashup is a community dance that is accessible for all ages and abilities across the country. No dance experience necessary. Free, weekly lessons every Tuesday in July (4th, 11th, 18th and 25th) from 3pm-4:30pm at Oppenheimer … Read more
Children’s Sumo Workshop Register Here Join us for an afternoon of sumo training! This session’s aim is to build confidence and safety around this popular Japanese sport in preparation for the Festival. Children ages 2-14, regardless of size, gender, or experience are welcome to participate. Activities will include warm-up exercises, practice matches, and a mini … Read more
Can’t make it to Paueru Gai this year? Join our Festival Connect Livestream to catch featured performances and live on-location reporting from the Festival Grounds to your location through YouTube live. Plus, join the conversation through moderated live chat. Scroll down to see this year’s lineup of content, and click “watch now” to tune in … Read more
Powell Street Festival Society, in association with New Media Gallery, Anvil Theatre, and Formscape Arts Society, proudly present Studio Programsounds’ Kūsou/空相, a new immersive audio-visual installation drawing on Japanese calligraphy and western flute. Through real-time computer graphics, calligraphic kanji characters are represented as continuously transforming visual scenery, backed by an auditory landscape of acoustic and … Read more
What is old is new at the 46th Annual Powell Street Festival as we gather in-person to celebrate Japanese Canadian art and culture in Oppenheimer Park and Paueru Gai (the Powell Street area) this July 30 and 31! Three stages feature contemporary and traditional artists, community food vendors and crafters offer favourite Japanese delights and … Read more
Sumo Beginner Workshop Come learn the basic rules and techniques of sumo wrestling and participate in an optional mini-tournament! Join us for this free, all-ages event. No sumo experience necessary. Date: Sunday, July 10, 2022Time: 1:30-4:00pm (doors open at 1:00pm)Location: Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall (487 Alexander St., 5th floor) Please wear comfortable, loose-fitting … Read more
Paueru Mashup Dance Lessons: July 2023 Join us this summer for in-person Paueru Mashup Dance lessons at Oppenheimer Park. The Paueru Mashup is a community dance that is accessible for all ages and abilities across the country. No dance experience necessary. Free, weekly lessons every Tuesdays in July (4th, 11th, 18th and 25th) from 3pm-4:30pm … Read more
Update May 20, 2022 We regret to announce that due to COVID-19, tomorrow’s Drumming up Spirit concert, including the live stream, has been CANCELLED. Refunds have been issued to all ticketholders to the original method of payment through Eventbrite. Please note that it may take 5-7 working days to process. We thank you for your understanding, and … Read more
