For immediate release

24th Annual “Bon Dance”
Japanese Festival
Aug 24 in Greenville, SC

Since 1995, South Carolina residents have enjoyed the Bon Dance Festival, an annual celebration of Japanese culture in the form of a late summer festival during the Japanese holiday of Obon.  This year’s festival will be held on Saturday, August 24, from 12:30pm to 4:30pm at McAlister Square in Greenville, 225 S Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, South Carolina. This event is fully open to the public and admission is free. Tickets can be purchased at the door for food, raffles, games and prizes.

#obonsc #jaasc

The Bon Dance Festival includes Bon Odori (the Bon Dance) with participants in colorful kimono, yukata and happi coats. Everyone is invited to join in the dancing! There will also be Taiko drumming performances, martial arts including kendo and kyudo, traditional Japanese arts including calligraphy and the Japanese Tea Ceremony, as well as Japanese crafts, games, and prizes. Delicious lunches will be available for sale from numerous participating Upstate vendors at the opening of the festival. (The food is popular and goes quickly, we recommend arriving early if you’d like to eat at the festival.)

2019 Schedule

11:30am Gates Open
—
12:30pm Taiko performance by Ronin Taiko
1:00pm Bon Dance (Bon Odori) by Midori no Kai
1:15pm Hula Dance by Hokukea
1:30pm Kyudo demonstration by SC Kyudo Renmei
1:45pm Tea Ceremony by WNC Japanese Culture Center
2:15pm Bon Dance (Bon Odori) by Midori no Kai
2:30pm Hula Dance by Hokukea
2:45pm Taiko performance by Ronin Taiko
3:15pm Kendo performance by Greenville Kendo Club
3:45pm Sanshin musical performance by Gachimaya
4:15pm Bon Dance (Bon Odori) by Midori no Kai
4:30pm Festival End
—

This event is hosted by the Japan-America Association of South Carolina (JAASC) and comes together with help of numerous local and regional organizations, individuals, businesses and volunteers dedicated to the purpose.  For more information, visit the Japan-America Association of South Carolina website at http://jaasc.org, follow them on twitter @JapanAmerica_SC, or find them on Facebook.

The organizers of this event are dedicated to fostering friendships and a positive community among the peoples of the United States and Japan through meaningful educational, social, and cultural exchanges.

About Japan-America Association of South Carolina (JAASC)

For more than 30 years, JAASC has been dedicated to fostering and promoting positive relationships among the peoples of the United States and Japan. The JAASC was formed in 1988 due to the large influx of Japanese-owned businesses into South Carolina. As the U.S. and Japan continue to become more intertwined through trade, technology and finance, the JAASC seeks to demonstrate that, though the histories and cultures of our two nations are very different, our values are remarkably similar.

Our purpose is to strengthen the bond of friendship between our peoples by continually seeking to foster greater understanding through meaningful educational, social and cultural exchanges.

###

For media inquiries, contact us by email or message us on the JAASC Facebook Page.