Powell Street Festival Society

Great fun with lots of interesting people to watch, booths with cool little knick knacks and tons of food. Many stages with live performers!

The Vancouver Eishin Ryu Iaido Club has been attending the Powell Street Festival long before I joined the dojo in 2006. It's a great event with lots to see and lots to eat. Great for families and very child friendly. Would highly recommend it :)

One more great festival in Vancouver! The Powell Street Festival (PSF) the largest events of its kind in Canada is celebrated this weekend. This is an annual celebration of Japanese Canadian arts, culture and heritage. There are presentations of dance, music, martial arts, sumo, crafts and delicious Japanese food.

I've been attending and volunteering with Powell Street Festival for years now and for good reason! It is a community with enthusiastic and compassionate individuals that strives to make all manners of communities connect. Celebrating but also creating awareness of the core values driving the communities via amazing artistic programs/performances, and other community events. So if you're looking for a sense of community, look no further!

The performance there were amazing. The only thing that I love more, was Epithymia performaning in Canada for the first time 🇨🇦💎🥰😁 they were outstanding, I hope they will come back again next year.

Getting bigger and better year after years, also greatest recycling effort among all other events in the area.

I first attended the Powell Street Festival on the August 2022 B.C. long weekend. I was always aware of it, then finally going and crossing it off my list of the different events the city of Vancouver, BC has to offer. Suffice to say, I unexpectedly attended last year’s festival, this year’s,, likely next year’s and very likely the 50th Powell Street Festival in 2026. Hopefully I’ll be available for additional Powell Street Festivals on the Civic holiday long weekend. My expectations were met at my initial Powell Street Festival. It exceeded during that full weekend. I knew it would be a diverse environment… it went beyond that. The festival itself is very welcoming to anyone and everyone. While the celebration of Japanese Canadian arts and culture commemorating the Paueru Gai Area (Powell Street) is the genesis of the Powell Street Festival, it unites all people, from indigenous to the present communities that currently reside there and evermore. The festival encourages community engagement within the neighborhood. It is the latter that has sustained the annual festival going into it’s 48th year which will infinitely continue for future generations. Although the 2 day Powell Street Festival is an annual Summer event where one experiences artistry, crafts, music, dance, taiko, the sumo tournament, martial arts, recreation, great food… and more… the Powell Street Festival Society maintains it’s presence throughout the year by participating in additional local community events. Check out the Powell Street Festival this August long weekend. There is something for everybody to enjoy. Experience something new and unique… Ganbatte!

Since I am fascinated with Japanese Language & Culture, I have been a Veteran Volunteer for this O-Matsuri Festival since 1996. I have posted a Picture I had from 2011 which shows a Performance of Taiko on the Main Stage. This year, I Volunteered for the Final Time before doing my Moving Away to Saskatchewan next year. May the Karma that was Created for Me at this Year's Festival come back to them by the Power of Three Times Three: So Mote It Be!

This free art festival has been sharing and celebrating Japanese Canadian culture for 49 years! It is one of the largest and longest running arts festivals in Canada. As a Japanese, Canadian, American citizen it touches my heart to see a collaboration of the artists, vendors and festival goers like me from all backgrounds sharing and learning about our histories. In the 1920's Oppenheimer park was once a thriving hub for Japanese Canadians. Sadly in 1942 during the war, they were forced to vacate this area. After, some returned and rebuilt their lives in Vancouver, Steveston and Richmond. It was moving to hear the chairwomen of the Powell Street Festival Society express and thank the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh), and Musqueam Nations for allowing the festival to be held on the unceded territories. Craft shopping, art demos and eating filled the next couple of hours. I purchased floral handmade cards, Japanese themed handmade jewelry, "sushi candles"and ate fresh made tayoyaki. Yummy! Traditional Japanese dancing and the unique "Big Print" art demonstration using a steamroller was entertaining to see. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Vancouver and a heartwarming experience!

I enjoyed honestly but very inconvenient location. Oppenheimer park used to be used for this festival. More people could gather around the stages and enjoyed activity freely. More eating spots and chilling spots with nice food. But right now homeless people's tents occupied it. Powellstreet festival is held on the street literally. If they need big space, then use intersection. I have sympathy to homeless people too but I felt something wrong because the park should be public and more flexible to use for anyone and any occasion. If you like Japanese hand made craft, I recommend to come to first day of the festival. They are so popular.

Powell Street Festival holds a special place in my heart because the organizers prioritize community building... and it really shows in how the event is run. It's closer to being a large grass roots festival than one of the corporate funded festivals that may happen near the art gallery or more visible plazas in Vancouver. The event happens over August long weekend at Oppenheimer park. For people unfamiliar with the DTES, this is a park that is typically filled with local residents from the area. The festival does not try to "push out" residents to white wash the streets which is important and speaks to the organizer's ethics. Frankly, they respect the people that live in the neighbourhood and host a festival amidst its existing population. The festival itself is a fun time. Usually there's a ton of street food stalls, this year it was a little smaller than usual (likely due to Covid). I did miss a few of the more unique options that used to appear at Powell st, but I understand it may take another year or two to reboot the momentum on the food aspect of the festival. The stage and programming was fun and the vendors were great. It just felt really good to walk around a festival that was celebrating Japanese culture and specifically, as a speaker on the main stage said, taking the opportunity to celebrate language learning. As a non-Japanese person who has an Indigenous language, I respect this message greatly. Anyways, this festival is worth checking out!

A decent number of vendors celebrating japanese culture, goods and eats. It is located in a bit of a sketchy side of Vancouver near the Oppenheimer park which can be a bit of inconvenience. But it is such a great idea for a festival celebrating all things Japanese! I ended up bringing back home with some baker and table mochi buns and koji sauce from the festival. It will be great to see this event grow over time with more vendors and eats!

What is the Powell Street Festival one might ask? It's dragons, and ice cream trucks, and kimono onesies for kiddies and street food with lineup after lineup, and of course Japanese Hip Hop. Held this year in Woodland Park, the festival is itself not huge. The Hip hop music was the soundtrack to my couple hours in the park. A row of merchant stalls, selling everything from stuffed sushi toys and children's clothing, to jewelry and pottery, and tents specifically designated for seniors and children, kept me occupied amongst the shady trees, while the hoards of people lining up for food under the hot, hot afternoon heat kept me away from gorging myself! There was lots of parking around and walking with an "Xtreme Sour" Popsicle from the ice cream man who spoke to me in 3 different languages may have been confusing, but it was a great way to stay cool!

I absolutely adored my time at the Powell Street Festival this year! I will admit to coming mainly for food more so than the arts, culture, or entertainment, but the food itself earned an easy 5 stars! Whilst here with bae, I tried chicken karaage, spam musubi, iced matcha tea, okonomiyaki, yakitori, onigiri, and a dilly bar with green tea ice cream in the middle. Everything, literally EVERYTHING, was so delicious. This was my idea of a perfect afternoon. It was not overly crowded but enough to have created some buzz. It was easy and relaxing to wander through the stalls, taste different foods from street curbs, and learn about the Japanese-Canadian community here in Vancouver. I cannot wait until next year!

I really enjoyed my time at the Powell Street Festival! My friends and I visited all the stands. The stands were selling hand made items using Japanese style fabrics and there were stands selling Japanese pottery hand made by locals and antiques. There were also yummy food stands that sold Japanese food and other festival foods. It was definitely a relaxing day. Especially when we were sitting under the shade of a tree while listening to the performers sing. There were also performances that were a mix of modern and traditional Japanese dance and music. I also love how the festival organizers were eco-conscious. There were recycling bins for paper, plastic, and aluminum items and bins for compostable items right beside all the garbage bins. They also arranged for all napkins, food utensils and food containers to be compostable or recyclable. And they arranged a designated free and secured parking for bicycles and carts. Good job! This is a really good family activity. I think we need more of these cultural festivals! It definitely livens up the community! Note: if you guys are driving to the festival then be warned about parking. Parking can be free but make sure to follow all the signs. There were a lot of tow trucks this year. There were meter parking too and luckily its cheaper than most places for that option. It does get pretty busy so make sure to give yourself plenty of time to find parking or just go early to avoid the parking issues.

Yes I do love PSF - but I have a little more of a vested interest b/c I'm Japanese-Canadian myself. The food isn't the greatest - I can make better at home - better yet, my mom can make better at home. The lines are waaaayyy too long for food (you'd think after all these years the food stands would come up with increased efficiency). I never really look at the stands, and don't really visit around the other booths either. But it's really for what it stands. It's been going for over 30 years, you see recognizable faces at the festival every year from friends to past acquaintances, it's great for the kids to dress up in their Yukatas and be running around. It's a must to bring a blanket and find a good patch of grass to camp out on for a few hours while people watching, listening to the musical acts (what the hell was up with the Alien music show on Saturaday anyway?!? I still can't get the chorus "Aliens eat what humans do" out of my head), napping, talking, visiting, eating ... It's what it's all about. And it wasn't held ON Powell Street this year but when it is, it's nice to have the Buddist Temple there along with the Vancouver Japanese Language school - both 100 year old institutions as well as going on the Powell Street tours (of which I've been a guide the past number of years). So for others it may just be a place to spend a few minutes in, but there is sentimental significance that runs much deeper than what you can see.

great weather, surprisingly good turnout in this part of town, and well organized. Just that after tasting all the great night market food in Richmond, it was a bit of a let down for me. Even Hapa Izakaya had a booth of chicken karaage for $5, good size which you won't ever get in their restos. The organizers should've made more eating areas with tables, chairs, etc. Ran for 2 days, and free. Food booth prices pretty reasonable. Best deal of the day were 5 macarons from the Japanese Dessert Cafe on Robson, for $3. The gyozas were a pass, and so was the shaved ice for $7, including one tiny scoop of ice cream. Nor were the squid balls worth waiting for 20min.

Year after year it seems as thought the Powell Street Festival is getting larger and larger which is great as it runs on a weekend that is so full of other festivities running in the city in more desirable areas. The Powell Street Festival is a great way to get out and enjoy Vancouver's Japanese Culture and enjoy some sumo wrestling, martial arts, taiko drumming and other traditional performances and demonstrations as well as some delicious Japanese food and checking out the craft tables that are set up. Now to be honest, our real purpose for coming out to the festival was the food even though we also had plans to go to the Richmond Night Market that very night. It's the best of both worlds. Japanese for lunch and Night Market for dinner. Yum! The waffles, imagawayaki and gyozas were all delish.

It's too bad they got displaced from the park this year because being scattered about the streets made it disorienting to find some of the events. Food took forever to get because the lineups were really long. The popular vendors like the Osaka ball ones (takoyaki) and Mogu Food Cart did their best to process orders with a we-call-your-number system but basically no one was really able to keep up. This therefore conflicted with events taking place earlier as it officially started on Saturday at 11.30 am, which is close enough to lunch time and some events were scheduled to be underway at noon -- when lots of people are still stuck in the food lines. Food prices weren't bad, although some really popular items like takoyaki were atrocious -- close to $1 per ball, and each little fella you got couldn't fill a ping pong ball.