The Georgia Straight proudly sponsors the 36th annual Powell Street Festival

Vancouver’s largest and longest-running celebration of Japanese Canadian arts and culture, the Powell Street Festival, takes place at Oppenheimer Park and surrounding areas on Saturday and Sunday (August 4 and 5) from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Now in its 36th year, the free family event features traditional and contemporary Japanese cultural performances and demonstrations, such as taiko drumming, sumo wrestling, folk and modern dance, bonsai and ikebana, music, visual arts, tea ceremonies, Japanese and Japanese-fusion food, and historical walking tours.

The theme of the 2012 festival is “Big Bangzai!”, and weekend highlights include a presentation by Governor General's Literary Award finalist poet Sachiko Murakami, a theatre-dance piece by Ichigo-Ichieh’s Hiromoto Ida, performances by Ontario-based singer Ana Miura, Seattle-based jazz vocalist and pianist Emi Meyer, New York–based singer-songwriter Taiyo Na, and local artists Maiko Bae Yamamoto and Veda Hille.