Japanese Garden Party

No booking required – just turn up on the day!

Join us for an afternoon of Japanese live music, family activities and Japanese food to celebrate the regeneration of the Japanese garden in Hammersmith Park! Expect taiko drumming, ramen, and family friendly activities such as origami and calligraphy, alongside much more!

The day will end with two very special performances by contemporary Japanese artists Ichi and Hatis Noit. We hope you can join us for what is bound to be a fantastic summer celebration of all things Japanese!

Why we’re celebrating

Hammersmith Park is all that remains of the 1910 Japan-British Exhibition in White City, but few know it is a Japanese garden. Now an avenue of stone lanterns and a wooden entrance gate are being installed to celebrate the park’s Japanese origins.

To mark the event, Japan Society, together with the Embassy of Japan and the Friends of Hammersmith Park, are hosting an afternoon activities and music. Children and adults alike can make their own Japanese lantern to take home, learn to write their name in Japanese, try on a kimono, fold some origami, and even meet Hello Kitty herself!! That’s right – Hello Kitty will be making a personal appearance at the celebrations! And if all the excitement makes you hungry, you’ll be able to sample delicious Japanese street food at the Japan centre food stalls.

A wide range of Japanese traditional and contemporary music will fill the garden all afternoon, from the guitar-like shamisen, to taiko drums, concluding with performances by two exciting Japanese musicians. ICHI, takes the concept of the one man band to entirely new heights with his homemade instruments and eclectic, fun sound, while Hokkaido-born Hatis Noit’s mesmerising vocals draw on musical traditions from Japanese court music to opera, and Buddhist chanting to pop.

Co-organised by the Japan Society and the Embassy of Japan