BON-DANCE
FESTIVAL
Don't Miss This Tradition
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 volunteer-operated and organized by JAASC’s Japan Affairs committee every August in Greenville, SC as a fundraiser for non-profit operations and programs.
2025 Bon Dance Festival
Saturday, August 23, 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM
McAlister Square
225 S Pleasantburg Dr | Greenville, SC 29607
RSVP and invite friends!
$1 entry fee. Tickets can be purchased for activities, bento boxes, raffles, and festival games. Vendors for crafts, baked goods, etc. accept cash or card (vendor dependent).
Doors open at 11:45 PM. If you’d like a bento box provided by local SC and Greenville restaurants, we recommend arriving earlier — they sell out fast! Cash is preferred, but JAASC can also accept tap-to-pay and credit cards that have chips for a small fee.
We do not have advanced ticket sales at this time.
Available activities include: Japanese Lottery, Festival games such as Yoyo Fishing & Strikezone, Caligraphy practice, I-Go board games, Japanese goods, Japanese crafted goods, Origami, Omikuji fortunes, Yukata Dressup, and more!
What to Expect
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:
11:45 am
Doors Open
12:30 pm
Taiko Drum performance by Ronin Taiko
1:00 pm
Bon Dance by Midorino Kai
1:15 pm
JPOP dance by HANA AKARI & CLT Taiko
1:30 pm
Kyudo Archery demo by SC Kyudo Renmei
1:55 pm
The tea ceremony by WNCJCC
2:15 pm
Sanshin Concert by GACHIMAYA
2:45 pm
Bon Dance by Midorino Kai
3:00 pm
JPOP dance by HANA AKARI & CLT Taiko
3:15 pm
Aikido demonstration by SC Ki Aikido
3:25 pm
Kendo Wooden Sword Martial Arts Demo by Greenville Kendo Club
3:55 pm
Taiko Drum Performance by Ronin Taiko
4:30 pm
Festival End
Join the Bon Odori, Bon Dances, led by Midorino Kai
JAASC will host a public dance practice August 9th 9-10 AM at Falls Park Center round stage in Greenville, SC for those interested in learning and practicing the dances beforehand.
Interested in sponsoring us?
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.
