The Bon Dance Festival is one of our most significant cultural traditions. It mimics similar Obon festivals held in Japan around the Japanese ancestral holiday of Obon. The Bon Dance Festival includes Bon Odori, which is performed in colorful kimono, yukata, and happi coats. Rather than somber affairs, the Bon Dance Festival represents an energetic mix of traditional choreography with modern-day merrymaking.
The festival is hosted by JAASC’s Japan Affairs committee every August in Greenville, SC as a fundraiser for our programs.
Saturday, August 26, 12:00 pm-4:30 pm
McAlister Square
225 S Pleasantburg Dr | Greenville, SC 29607
RSVP and invite friends to our Facebook event!
Tickets can be purchased for admission, food, raffles, and games. Doors open early for setup and food sales. If you’d like food, we recommend you arrive early — it goes fast! Cash is preferred, but JAASC can also accept tap-to-pay and credit cards that have chips.
Fun for the whole family, the Bon Dance Festival is held indoors in comfortable air conditioning, regardless of weather conditions.
The typical schedule includes the following:
11:30 am
Gate Open
12:30 pm
Taiko performance by Ronin Taiko
1:00 pm
Bon Dance by Midorino Kai
1:15 pm
Perfume dance by HANAMIZUKI
1:25 pm
Kyudo demonstration by SC Kyudo Renmei
1:40 pm
The tea ceremony by WNCJCC
2:10 pm
Conferment ceremony by Japanese Government
2:30 pm
Bon Dance by Midorino Kai
2:45 pm
Perfume dance by HANAMIZUKI
2:55 pm
Taiko performance by Ronin Taiko
3:25 pm
Kendo demonstration by Greenville Kendo Club
3:55 pm
Sanshin performance by GACHIMAYA
4:30 pm
Festival End
Join the Bon Odori, Bon Dances, led by Midorino Kai
JAASC will host a public dance practice in July or early August before the festival for those interested in learning and practicing the dances beforehand.
The Bon Dance Festival is an annual fundraiser to support JAASC programs. We are always looking for new ways to connect members to the community. If you or your company are interested in sponsoring a portion of this event, please let us know. We would love to partner with you.