Chicago Celebrates Life and Culture at Japanese Bon Festival Event in Jefferson Park!

Bonfest Chicago

The Japanese Art Foundation and Japanese Culture Center in partnership with the Chicago Park District, Shubukai, and Tsukasa Taiko are excited to announce the BON Fest Chicago / 盆フェスト・シカゴ.

This event will showcase Bon Odori dancing, taiko drumming, and festivities held in the Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park, Chicago.

At this time, there is no official schedule. Please subscribe to our newsletter in order to be the first to find out when the event will be held and how to attend.

*Note: You MUST have attended at least one dance workshop with Yoshinojo sensei to attend. In order to protect the sanctity of the Garden, attendance at the event is very limited.

Festival History

A Bon Festival ( or Obon Matsuri) occurs during the hottest part of the summer when it is said the distance between the natural and supernatural world is the smallest. People then come together to remember those that have passed on or were lost as a community. Traditionally, a specific regional style of dancing and music is performed by those in attendance to welcome spirits.

Our initial hope was to use the festival as an opportunity for our community to heal and process the tremendous loss and damage the COVID-19 pandemic has caused through the arts.

The Bon Odori Association of Japan, Asian Improv aRts Midwest, and Shubukai’s Fujima Yoshinojo all helped support this important event and make the inaugural Bon Fest in 2021 a success. Fujima Sensei (also a resident artist of the Japanese Arts Foundation and instructor at the Japanese Culture Center) taught Bon Odori dance lessons virtually leading up to the Bon Fest, so everyone could participate from the convenience of their own home.

Shubukai

Shubukai (formerly Fujima Ryu of Chicago) is the only Japanese-certified classical dance program active in the Midwest. The aesthetics are upheld through the link with Japan and is maintained through communication and collaboration with Grandmasters in Tokyo and Shizuoka Japan. The annual student recitals have been presented for over 45 years. Shubukai performs educational and cultural outreach presentations including traditional and contemporary applications of Japanese Classical dance throughout the year in the Chicagoland area.

Asian Improv aRts Midwest

Asian Improv aRts Midwest was created in 1984, by Chicago-based artist and community leader Tatsu Aoki. Since then AIRM has been leading the way in creating bridges by connecting communities through Asian American cultural arts from coast to coast for over 20 years.

Tsukasa Taiko

Tsukasa Taiko is dedicated to building community and being a leader in the taiko drumming culture of the Midwest. The group offers instruction, education, and performances to achieve the mission of preserving and nurturing traditional concepts of Japanese art as a cultural legacy, while also expanding and evolving the art.

Tsukasa Taiko maintains a national profile with powerful performances across the country throughout the world, including such prestigious venues as the Contemporary Museum of Art, the Steppenwolf Theater, the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Symphony Center, the Smithsonian, and the Malta International Theater Festival in Poland.