Based in Northern Ireland, Obon On The Foyle presents a week long celebration of Japanese culture, including taiko drumming, traditional dance, martial arts, manga, film culminating in our Obon Festival on the final day, Saturday 25th May 2019. For the festival, we transform a local community space into ‘Little Tokyo’ decorated with lanterns, traditional Japanese hangings and art. We have a showcase stage of taiko, dance, song and musical performances. This year we are honoured and delighted to have members of the world renowned taiko group, San Jose Taiko, come to our festival to perform and facilitate workshops for local schools and groups. As the daylight starts to fade, we end the evening with a magical lantern procession.

"We are the only Obon festival in Ireland, North and South. We operate in a location that is traditionally very divided and where drumming and festivals can be very divisive. Our mission is to create a new shared space where both traditions of this historically divided country can feel safe and included while simultaneously providing opportunities for the growing Japanese community to contribute their traditions to the local cultural calendar.

We create s festival where the true meeting of Obon – the respect for the past and our ancestors, the coming together in the present with good food, taiko, dancing, music and love, is central."