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 Oppenheimer Park and the surrounding streets of Vancouver’s historic Japanese neighbourhood known as Paueru Gai (“Powell Street”)—part of today’s Downtown Eastside— on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. PSFS is committed to artistic excellence, social equity, and the ongoing stewardship of Japanese Canadian stories. This free festival features over 60 events and 40 performances, alongside 50 food and craft vendors, workshops, community booths, and a wide range of engaging activities that invite joy, remembrance, resistance, and reinvention.
Now in its 49th year, the Powell Street Festival is Canada’s largest and longest-running celebration of Japanese Canadian arts and culture. Rooted in Paueru Gai—the festival began in 1977 as a resurgence of community following wartime dispossession and internment. It honours layered histories of displacement, resistance, and belonging, and remains deeply grounded in solidarity with DTES residents year-round. Celebrating Japanese Canadian life—diasporic, resilient, and ever-evolving—the festival embraces an intergenerational legacy while championing a future that is creative, intersectional, and unapologetically authentic.
The 2025 festival opens at 11:30 a.m. on the Diamond Stage with a welcome from Elder Carleen Thomas (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), followed by remarks from MP Jenny Kwan, BC Minister Spencer Chandra Herbert, Deputy Mayor Sarah Kirby-Yung, Consul General Takahashi of Japan, and festival organizers.
Musical highlights will showcase a fearless blend of tradition and innovation. Taiko drumming—the festival’s heartbeat—features multigenerational and queer collaborations from Sawagi Taiko, JODAIKO, GO Taiko, Onibana Taiko, Sansho Daiko, and others, delivering thunderous rhythms that embody community resilience. Vancouver’s Asian Persuasion All Stars deliver a thrilling fusion of ska, reggae, and indie rock with a sharp anti-racist message. A for Effort and Brassica, led by Kimiko Dorey and Jon Sykes, charm audiences with harmony-rich originals and beloved covers. Foxgloves bring dreamy, feminist shoegaze pop, contrasting with the soulful Hammond grooves of the Jason de Couto Organ Trio. CoSei, led by Pico Masaki, offers a transcendent blend of koto, guzheng, piano, violin, and vocals. Okinawan traditions are represented by Southern Wave and Vancouver Okinawa Taiko, while Rina and the Tohoku Min’yō Band share spirited northern Japanese folk music.
Dance performances span styles and generations, from APPARE Yosakoi Vancouver’s high-energy Yosakoi and Kokoro Dance’s evocative butoh, to traditional and contemporary Japanese dance by Otowa Ryu, joyful performances by Tenrikyo Joyous Stars, Hawaiian Hula from Wailele Wai Wai, and spirited folk dances by World Soran! All are welcome to join Radio Taiso stretches with Nikkei elders and the iconic Tanko Bushi coal miners’ dance.
Festival-goers can immerse themselves in cultural traditions including tea ceremonies, Buddhist temple visits, and vibrant mikoshi and shishimai (lion dance) processions. Yukata rentals and ikebana flower displays will be available inside the Vancouver Buddhist Temple. Martial arts remain a pillar of the festival, with demonstrations in aikido, karate, iaido, judo, kendo, naginata, and kyudo throughout the weekend. The Amateur Sumo Tournament returns the Sunday, preceded by a Saturday workshop where attendees of all ages can try sumo and cheer on competitors.
Family-friendly fun is woven throughout the weekend. Yuki the Juggler and magician Travis Bernhardt bring laughter and surprise, while the Interactive Zone hosts tug of war, suikawari (watermelon smashing), and other classic summer games. The Children’s Tent offers Japanese crafts and play for all ages. Youth aged 16 to 29 can also gather at the JCYC Youth Mixer, part of the Japanese Canadian Youth Cohort cultural residency, which fosters mentorship and community connection.
The literary and film programs explore stories through a Japanese Canadian lens. Landscapes of Home, a new documentary by Alice Il Shin and producer Eiko Kawabe Brown, traces the lives of two doctors shaped by war, followed by a Q&A moderated by Karen Wong of Moving Pictures Distribution. An Afternoon at the Movies features a live script reading by Vivien Nishi. Genbaku no Uta presents poetry in response to the atomic bomb, and The Gate of Memory gathers descendants of internment survivors to share verse and reflections. Filmmaker Alison Kobayashi screens her short film File No. 2304, exploring her family’s WWII-era custodial files and the legacy of forced displacement.
Contemporary art and performance installations add a creative edge to the festivities, featuring Kisyuu’s large-scale calligraphy, Soramaru Takayama’s interactive LED message labyrinth, and The Big Print Project—a live, large-scale printmaking installation presented by PSFS and the Creative Cultural Collaborations Society. Witness largescale printmaking using a steamroller as a press throughout Saturday and Sunday on Alexander Street, east of Jackson Ave! Artists include Eri Ishii, Tomoyo Ihaya, Lynda Nakashima, Larissa Healey, Xwalacktun, John Spence, and Manuel Axel Strain.
Shop, eat, and connect across 50 bustling booths offering handmade jewellery, zines, Japanese crafts, vintage kimono, eco goods, and plushies. Enjoy festival favourites like salmon BBQ, Spam musubi, karaage, mochi manju, and shaved ice—plus unique offerings from vegan mochiko chicken to okonomi burgers! Visit community booths led by Japanese Canadian and DTES groups to learn about local initiatives. Browse limited-edition festival merchandise at the Sales Tent and enter the Festival Lottery for a chance to win one of 20 prize packages, including roundtrip airfare for two from Vancouver to Tokyo!
In response to heightened public safety concerns, PSFS has been in close collaboration with the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department to ensure its protocols and Traffic Management Plan are thoughtfully considered. A trained safety team, easily identifiable by bright orange hachimaki (headbands), will be present throughout the festival grounds. Additional supports include increased security personnel and barriers. Amenities include drinking water, shaded rest areas, accessible seating, clear wayfinding signage, and gender-neutral toilets, all designed to create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for all.
This milestone year marks a transition toward PSFS’s 50th anniversary in 2026. Guided by creative new leadership, and grounded in commitments to sustainability, accessibility, and equity, PSFS is honouring its roots while shaping a future-oriented vision. Festivalgoers are invited to visit the 50th Anniversary Booth to share memories, dreams, and ideas that will help define the next chapter. Information on volunteering, donating and becoming a member is also available onsite and online.
Come for the food, stay for the sumo, linger for the poetry, and return for the people. For full programming schedule and details, accessibility information, and safety updates, visit www.powellstreetfestival.com or consult the official Festival Bulletin available at the Festival.
About the Powell Street Festival Society
Founded in 1977, the Powell Street Festival Society produces the Powell Street Festival and year-round programming that celebrates Japanese Canadian arts and culture through heritage, contemporary works, and community engagement. Based in Vancouver’s historic Paueru Gai (“Powell Street”) neighbourhood —now known as of the Downtown Eastside— on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. PSFS is committed to artistic excellence, social equity, and the ongoing stewardship of Japanese Canadian stories — past, present, and future.
Media Inquiries and Interview Requests:
Email: media@powellstreetfestival.com
Phone: (604) 739-9388
Media Kit: Dropbox Link
Includes photos from past festivals, 49th festival promotions, program information
Follow @powellstfest on Instagram and Facebook
Quotes
“The Festival takes place within the legacy of the 1942 forced removal of Japanese Canadians, and in the broader context of displacement experienced by Indigenous peoples and other communities in the Downtown Eastside. We are honoured to return each year and collaborate with our neighbours to share a rich cultural experience that connects and strengthens our community.” – Russell Chiong (Board President, PSFS)
“Powell Street Festival is where tradition and innovation come together—where generations gather to share stories, challenge expectations, and celebrate our diverse Japanese Canadian community. I’m honoured to steward PSFS at this important moment, committed to preserving its legacy and fostering a future full of connection, creativity, and pride.” – Sophie Latimer (Executive Director, PSFS)
“Powell Street is such a champion of JC culture, and it feels really special for me to be part of it this year” – Alison S. M. Kobayashi (Filmmaker, File No. 2304)
“I’m ecstatic to be coming back to Powell Street where I spent so much time as a kid. It’s one of my old places, but it lives and grows and it feels wonderful to be part of that, coming back with new songs as part of a very cool project, the Asian Persuasion All Stars” – Ron Yamauchi (Musician, Asian Persuasion All Stars)
“Big Print brings the magic of printmaking to the street and into the public realm” – Richard Tetrault (Big Print)
“My involvement with the Powell Street Festival has allowed me to actively reconnect with my Japanese Canadian roots and forge meaningful connections with other members of the JC community across generations. I am so excited to experience the synthesis of art, culture, community (and food!) at the Festival” – Midori Matthew (2025 Japanese Canadian Youth Cohort)
