Nisei Week Japanese Festival 2026

The 86th Annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival returns to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, August 15-23, 2026, one of the oldest and largest Japanese American cultural celebrations in the United States. Nisei Week has anchored the Little Tokyo community since 1934, drawing families, cultural organizations, and visitors from across Southern California for a full week of performances, markets, exhibitions, and the beloved Grand Parade. The festival spans two full weekends at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC). Week 1, August 15-16, features programming inside the JACCC building from 10 AM to 5 PM. Week 2, August 22-23, expands to the JACCC Plaza from 11 AM to 4 PM, with outdoor stages, food booths, and cultural demonstrations. The Grand Parade steps off Sunday, August 16 at 4 PM through the streets of Little Tokyo: taiko drummers, traditional dancers, mikoshi portable shrines, community floats, and honorary royalty in one of the largest Japanese American civic events on the West Coast. Running alongside Nisei Week is the 18th Los Angeles Tanabata Festival, displaying bamboo stalks hung with colorful wish papers throughout the JACCC grounds. Ikebana flower arranging, Japanese martial arts demonstrations, traditional games, cultural vendors, and authentic Japanese and Japanese American food are woven through both weekends. Free and open to the public. Little Tokyo is accessible via Metro A/E Lines at Little Tokyo/Arts District Station. Parking available in the Little Tokyo Galleria structure on 2nd Street.