Celebrate Japanese Canadian art and culture at the 48th Annual Powell Street Festival!
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, Powell Street) and nearby streets (Jackson and Dunlevy Avenues, Alexander Street) which will be transformed with an array of Japanese food vendors, a craft marketplace, and two outdoor stages. Participating venues include the Firehall Arts Centre (280 East Cordova Street), Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall (487 Alexander Street), Centre A Gallery (268 Keefer Street) and Vancouver Buddhist Temple (220 Jackson Avenue).
This year’s festival features over three dozen events, showcasing traditional and contemporary music, dance, literature, film, and performances from both local and international talent. Highlights include a screening of the documentary Between Pictures: The Lens of Tamio Wakayama by Cindy Mochizuki, a multimedia exploration of the late Japanese Canadian photographer and 1960s civil rights advocate. Music enthusiasts can look forward to Ryuho Shakuhachi Kai, a leading maker of the bamboo shakuhachi flute from Japan, and local acts such as Kotojiro, a trio blending Eastern and Western musical traditions, and hafu vocalist Kimiko. Literary offerings include a reading by Leslie Shimotakahara, author of Sisters of the Spruce, and an intergenerational creative writing circle workshop hosted by Mata Ashita, Michael Prior, and Leanne Toshiko Simpson ahead of an upcoming anthology featuring poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from Japanese Canadians affected by displacement and dispossession.
This year’s program also includes walking tours, martial arts demonstrations and our popular annual Sumo Tournament. Between events, visitors can enjoy over 20 food booths offering a variety of Japanese cuisine, browse handmade crafts in the marketplace, purchase festival lottery tickets and merchandise, and participate in interactive games in the zone.
Stay tuned for the release of our full festival schedule on July 18. For more information and pre-festival excitement, visit our website at powellstreetfestival.com.
For media inquiries or materials, please contact:
Owen Cameron
media[at]powellstreetfestival.com
About Powell Street Festival Society:
The Powell Street Festival Society’s (PSFS) mission is to celebrate Japanese Canadian art and culture to connect communities. With the support of over 250 volunteers, the Powell Street Festival is the largest of its kind in Canada and the longest running festival in Metro Vancouver, entering its 48th year. PSFS is a non-profit professional arts presenter that is progressive, diverse, contemporary, and compelling.
For up-to-date information on the festival, please visit www.powellstreetfestival.com, www.facebook.com/powellstfest or follow us on Instagram and X at: @powellstfest
PSFS gratefully acknowledges the support of Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, Province of British Columbia, British Columbia Arts Council, and the City of Vancouver.