The seventh annual L.A. Tanabata Festival will feature a variety of entertainment this weekend.
Coinciding with the first weekend of the Nisei Week Japanese Festival, the Tanabata Festival will be held outside the Japanese American National Museum and the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, First and Central in Little Tokyo.
The entertainment schedule is as follows:
Saturday, Aug. 15
10 a.m.: Chikara Taiko
10:30 a.m.: Tohoku Rokkonsai
11:30 a.m.: Geta tap dance
12 p.m.: Minyo Kotobuki no Kai (folk dancing)
12:30 p.m.: Miyuki Matsunaga (geta dancing)
1 p.m.: Blue Links (sweet soul)
2 p.m.: Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu Dojo
2:45 p.m.: People’s Choice Awards (for kazari)
3 p.m.: Taiko
4 p.m.: Atomic Project
5 p.m.: Cosplay Contest (Pacific Media Expo)
6 p.m.: People’s Choice Award
6:10 p.m.: Goonies (kendama)
6:30 p.m.: Michael Paulo Band
7:30 p.m.: Yoki Daiko
8 p.m.: Erica Nagashima
Sunday, Aug. 16
Main Stage
10:30 a.m.: Kyodo Taiko
11 a.m.: Tohoku performers
12 p.m.: Kaoru Enjoji and Band
1 p.m.: Los Angeles Toudoukai (sword dance)
2 p.m.: Local Mojo Band (R&B)
3 p.m.: Raffle
4 p.m.: Awa Odori Tokushima Ren
4:30 p.m.: Nisei Week Variety Show
Second Stage
11 a.m.: Hikaru Taiko
1 p.m.: Yuujou Taiko
3 p.m.: UCLA Kyodo Taiko
Large, colorful, ornate streamers (kazari) from the Sendai Tanabata Festival and from local community organizations will be on display throughout the weekend and on Monday, Aug. 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Food and drink will also be available during the weekend. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, visit www.tanabatalosangeles.org.
