75th Annual Obon Festival, July 14

The Buddhist Temple of the Monterey Peninsula hosts the annual Obon Festival Event. Featured at the Festival are Japanese foods, entertainment, ikebana and bonsai exhibits, games for children, and Japanese goods and crafts for sale. Food choices include tempura, sushi, beef teriyaki, udon, and gyoza. Day-long entertainment features martial arts demonstrations, tea ceremony, and Taiko drumming.

Later in the afternoon, the colorful Obon Odori, or community Japanese folk dancing, takes place.

The Obon Festival is a free event, donations accepted.

Parking is available across the street from the Temple.

Obon Festival Event Date
July 14, 2024, Sunday Only

Obon Festival Event Time
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Scheduled
3:00 pm: Shinsho Mugen Daiko (Taiko)
4:00 pm: Bon Odori Dance

Event Parking
Across the street from the Temple

Background of Obon Festival Event
The Obon festival is a Buddhist tradition to celebrate, remember and express gratitude to all family members who have died. The Obon festival has been celebrated in Japan since 657 AD. The first Obon in the United States was held in Hawaii in 1910; festivals on the mainland began about 20 years later.

The first Monterey Obon Festival was held on August 25, 1947 at the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Hall in Monterey, home to the Temple then. In 1963, the event was moved to the Monterey County Fairgrounds where it was held for 30 years. The Obon Festival returned to the Temple, now in Seaside, in 1993. 3,000 to 5,000 people from across the Monterey Peninsula and beyond attend each year.