Jul 25,2026
Zenshuji Obon Carnival Festival 2026 — Little Tokyo
The ancestors get the dance first.
Obon is a Buddhist festival of the dead — a few days each summer when the spirits return and the living make noise to welcome them back. In Little Tokyo, that noise comes from the Zenshuji Soto Mission's Obon Carnival: a two-day outdoor festival on July 25 and 26, 2026 at 123 South Hewitt Street, a few blocks from the Japanese Village Plaza.
The centerpiece is the Obon odori, a circle dance performed around a central yagura tower with taiko drums driving the beat. Anyone can join — no experience required, no special costume needed. Families come who have been dancing the same steps for three generations. First-timers show up and learn on the spot. That is the point.
There are also carnival games, food stalls, and the particular atmosphere of Little Tokyo in summer — warm evenings, paper lanterns, the smell of grilled corn and teriyaki threading through the air. The mission runs one of the best-attended Obon festivals in Southern California, drawing the Japanese-American community from across the region.
Free admission. Open Saturday and Sunday, noon to 7:00 PM. July 25–26, 2026 at 123 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
The ancestors get the dance first.
Obon is a Buddhist festival of the dead — a few days each summer when the spirits return and the living make noise to welcome them back. In Little Tokyo, that noise comes from the Zenshuji Soto Mission's Obon Carnival: a two-day outdoor festival on July 25 and 26, 2026 at 123 South Hewitt Street, a few blocks from the Japanese Village Plaza.
The centerpiece is the Obon odori, a circle dance performed around a central yagura tower with taiko drums driving the beat. Anyone can join — no experience required, no special costume needed. Families come who have been dancing the same steps for three generations. First-timers show up and learn on the spot. That is the point.
There are also carnival games, food stalls, and the particular atmosphere of Little Tokyo in summer — warm evenings, paper lanterns, the smell of grilled corn and teriyaki threading through the air. The mission runs one of the best-attended Obon festivals in Southern California, drawing the Japanese-American community from across the region.
Free admission. Open Saturday and Sunday, noon to 7:00 PM. July 25–26, 2026 at 123 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Obon is a Buddhist festival of the dead — a few days each summer when the spirits return and the living make noise to welcome them back. In Little Tokyo, that noise comes from the Zenshuji Soto Mission's Obon Carnival: a two-day outdoor festival on July 25 and 26, 2026 at 123 South Hewitt Street, a few blocks from the Japanese Village Plaza.
The centerpiece is the Obon odori, a circle dance performed around a central yagura tower with taiko drums driving the beat. Anyone can join — no experience required, no special costume needed. Families come who have been dancing the same steps for three generations. First-timers show up and learn on the spot. That is the point.
There are also carnival games, food stalls, and the particular atmosphere of Little Tokyo in summer — warm evenings, paper lanterns, the smell of grilled corn and teriyaki threading through the air. The mission runs one of the best-attended Obon festivals in Southern California, drawing the Japanese-American community from across the region.
Free admission. Open Saturday and Sunday, noon to 7:00 PM. July 25–26, 2026 at 123 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
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Zenshuji Obon Carnival Festival 2026 — Little Tokyo
Sat, Jul 25 – Sun, Jul 26, 2026
Sat 12:00 PM PDT – Sun 7:00 PM PDT
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The ancestors get the dance first.
Obon is a Buddhist festival of the dead — a few days each summer when the spirits return and the living make noise to welcome them back. In Little Tokyo, that noise comes from the Zenshuji Soto Mission's Obon Carnival: a two-day outdoor festival on July 25 and 26, 2026 at 123 South Hewitt Street, a few blocks from the Japanese Village Plaza.
The centerpiece is the Obon odori, a circle dance performed around a central yagura tower with taiko drums driving the beat. Anyone can join — no experience required, no special costume needed. Families come who have been dancing the same steps for three generations. First-timers show up and learn on the spot. That is the point.
There are also carnival games, food stalls, and the particular atmosphere of Little Tokyo in summer — warm evenings, paper lanterns, the smell of grilled corn and teriyaki threading through the air. The mission runs one of the best-attended Obon festivals in Southern California, drawing the Japanese-American community from across the region.
Free admission. Open Saturday and Sunday, noon to 7:00 PM. July 25–26, 2026 at 123 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Obon is a Buddhist festival of the dead — a few days each summer when the spirits return and the living make noise to welcome them back. In Little Tokyo, that noise comes from the Zenshuji Soto Mission's Obon Carnival: a two-day outdoor festival on July 25 and 26, 2026 at 123 South Hewitt Street, a few blocks from the Japanese Village Plaza.
The centerpiece is the Obon odori, a circle dance performed around a central yagura tower with taiko drums driving the beat. Anyone can join — no experience required, no special costume needed. Families come who have been dancing the same steps for three generations. First-timers show up and learn on the spot. That is the point.
There are also carnival games, food stalls, and the particular atmosphere of Little Tokyo in summer — warm evenings, paper lanterns, the smell of grilled corn and teriyaki threading through the air. The mission runs one of the best-attended Obon festivals in Southern California, drawing the Japanese-American community from across the region.
Free admission. Open Saturday and Sunday, noon to 7:00 PM. July 25–26, 2026 at 123 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
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