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
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
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
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 nathana@powellstreetfestival.com to register in advance and to receive a link to the online meeting. Proposed … Read more
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
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
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
Winners of the 5th Annual Public Art and Design Competition for Powell Street Festival Announced Vancouver, BC (Monday, May 4, 2020) – UBC’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture students Shaheed H. Karim and Amy Wu are the winners of the 5th Annual Public Art and Design Competition for Powell Street Festival Society. The team has been awarded a $1000 prize for their proposal titled Go Kingyo, a production … Read more
The Powell Street Festival Society (PSFS) is pleased to present its inaugural partnership with the Artist in Residence Yamanashi (AIRY) program. This artist-run initiative, based in the mountainous region of Yamanashi, Japan, focuses on cultivating community, connections, and work between artists from Japan and abroad. Artists in this program are provided accommodation, studio space, local outreach opportunities, … Read more
Did you attend the Powell Street Festival on August 3 or 4, 2019? Please fill out our survey and tell us how we did! Image credit: Keric Wu
Ashi Ato: Winner of the 4th Annual Public Art Competition Emily Carr University of Art and Design student Shayla Giroux is the winner of the 4th Annual Public Art Competition for Powell Street Festival Society. Giroux is joined by fellow student and collaborator Zenyase Hunsberger for the development and production stages. The team has been … Read more
Our application deadline has been extended to March 18 at midnight! Participate in the Festival
4th Annual Public Art Competition for Powell Street Festival Presented in partnership with Revery Architecture and Abaton Projects, students are invited to design an interactive artwork for the 43rd Anniversary Powell Street Festival, scheduled for August 3 and 4, 2019. The winning submission is awarded mentorship from Revery Architecture and Abaton Projects, and a commission … Read more
Sign up for our applications mailing list. We send out a notice once annually that Powell Street Festival application are open. Our 2019 Festival applications will open early in the new year! Image by Kristin Fuchihara
Thank you to Carl Schwartz of Simon Fraser University for providing the science behind our festival statistics. Read all about how we estimated 22,838 attendees at the 2018 festival!!!
Did you attend the Powell Street Festival on August 4 and 5. Fill out our audience survey and let us know what you think!
In partnership with The Bulletin/Geppo and the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association, our program guide is available at listed locations. You can also download the the entire 2018 Festival Program Guide (PDF, 9MB) or the Festival 2018 Schedule (PDF, 3.3MB) to see a summary of all that’s going on on Sat, Aug 4th and … Read more
August 18, 2018 10 am to 2 pm at Oppenheimer Park (400 block Powell Street) on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and mi ce:p kwətxwiləm (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations Register or contact us at info [at] powellstreetfestival.com or 604 739 9388. Join the Powell Street Festival Society, Oppenheimer Park & Carnegie Community Centre, … Read more
We are thrilled to announce the lineup of performers for the 42nd annual Powell Street Festival featuring a wide variety of local and international talent. One of the many musical highlights is virtuoso percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani, who, along with the Nakatani Gong Orchestra (a 14-person gong ensemble), kicks off his B.C. tour at the festival. … Read more
Karakasa Obake Karakasa Obake installation is the winner of the 3rd Annual Design Competition for Powell Street Festival Society. The submission was created by Simon Fraser University art students: Jana Ghimire, Phoebe Huang, Haylee Marx, Elisha Wang, and Carmen Wong. The team has been awarded a $1000 prize, a production budget, and mentorship from Revery Architecture and Abaton Projects. The Karakasa Obake installation is an … Read more
The Powell Street Festival is a unique festival in that it celebrates so many aspects of the community in an inclusive, accessible and respectful environment. We rely on hundreds of volunteers to make this festival the wonderful event that it is! Volunteering is a great opportunity to meet new friends, spend time with friends and … Read more
The Powell Street Festival takes place on the traditional, unceded and occupied territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
