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See all- 盆踊り Obon Festival 2025Buddhist Church of Sacramento, Sacramento, CA
Obon (or Bon Odori) time is coming again, so you should join us at the Buddhist Church of Sacramento! This is one of the highlights of the summer for this Meetup, definitely not to be missed.
We highly recommend that you participate (dance!), and not just spectate. The dances are not hard, but it helps a LOT if you come to practice. This year, practice will be on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 1 and 2, as well as Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, July 8, 9, and 10, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. They will be selling delicious food at the practices starting at 6:00 pm. The festival itself will be on Saturday, July 12, with food concessions starting at 5:00 pm and dancing from 7:30 to 9:15 pm (ish?).
Many of the dances use certain equipment. It's not necessary to have any of the items to do the dances, but it does make it more fun!
Here's a list of the items used in the dances: 1. Kachi Kachi (Japanese castanets) 2. Sensu (folding fan) 3. Uchiwa (circular fan, one with a round stick so it can be rotated in your hand is best) 4. Tenugui (hand towel). You may be able to get some of these items at the festival itself, at the practice sessions, or locally at Daiso.
Tips for First Timers:- Bring some cash and come early to get some oishii food. According to the Sacramento Buddhist Church's website: "Indulge your taste buds at our Food Concessions, featuring favorites like teriyaki beef sandwiches, Gunther’s Freezes, and a delightful variety of other culinary delights, starting at 5:00 pm."
- If you've got some traditional Japanese summer clothes, like yukata, happi, or jinbei, feel free to wear them. Otherwise, just wear something comfortable. You can also purchase yukata and happi at the practice sessions or at the festival.
- Parking at the church will be very limited (most of the parking lot will be used as the dance space), so you will likely need to find street parking and walk over.
