The 18th annual Los Angeles Tanabata Festival is set for Aug. 15 to 23, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in front of the entrance of Japanese American Cultural & Community Center Plaza, 244 S. San Pedro St. in Little Tokyo, as part of the 84th Nisei Week Japanese Festival. Admission is free.
This year marks a return of the festival featuring hand-made decorations. A special highlight this year is a custom-made kazari by Yoshihito Yonezawa celebrating the Year of the Horse in honor of his three generations of descendants: daughter Kathleen Kiyomi; granddaughters Katelynn and Marina Chieko; and great-grandson Ethan Akira.
Five magnificent giant seven-foot award-winning kazari from the 2026 Sendai Tanabata Festival in Japan have been shipped to Los Angeles for display. The elaborate bamboo decorations with streamers, origami cranes and paper ornaments are hung in festival settings.
The Tanabata story arrived in Japan over 1,300 years ago from Chinese mythology. Two stars represent two lovers, a weaving princess and a cowherd, separated by the Milky Way. They were kept apart because their love made them neglect their duties. They can meet only once a year, in July, and this is the basis of the Tanabata Festival.
The Los Angeles Tanabata Festival features local hand-made kazari by individuals, families, clubs, teams and organizations. Contest categories include individuals/families; schools/churches/temples and nonprofit organizations; and Kenjinkai (prefectural associations).
Display only kazari are not eligible for a prize.
Prizes will be awarded in each category: $100 for first place, $50 for second place, $30 for third place. The public will vote on the most creative kazari, which will receive the People’s Choice Award ($100). Kazari will be judged on representation of this year’s theme, “Love”; originality/creativity; design; use of paper decorations (flowers, streamers); and quality of construction.
The Los Angeles Tanabata Festival was started in Los Angeles in 2009 by Yonezawa, who received sponsorship from the three founding organizations — Little Tokyo Public Safety Association (Koban), Kenjinkai Kyogi Kai (Japanese Prefectural Associations) and Nisei Week — to present an event based on the Tanabata Festival in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, which dates back to the 700s.
Today, Sendai hosts the largest Tanabata Festival in the world with over 7,000 kazari hanging throughout the city. The display of the kazari from Sendai at the JACCC is made possible by a special sponsorship by Shiramatsuga Monaka.
Kazari will be judged on representation of this year’s theme, “Love”; originality/creativity; design; use of paper decorations (flowers, streamers); and quality of construction. 2026 Corporate Sponsors are the Japanese Village Plaza, Nanka Kenjinkai Kyogikai and Yoshihito Yonezawa.
2026 corporate sponsors are Japanese Village Plaza, Nanka Kenjinkai Kyogikai, and Mr. and Mrs. Yonezawa. Amanogawa (Milky Way) sponsors include Horatio and Gaylord Lamb, Junko Yamaguchi, Kiyo Fukumoto, Miyako Kadogawa, and Momo’s Kids. Orihime (Weaver Princess) sponsors are Ann Peifer, Anne Altherr Templeton, and Ayako Kadogawa.
The Los Angeles Tanabata Festival is a 501(C)3 nonprofit and is located at the JACCC in Room 405A. For more information, visit the website at https://latanabata.org/sponsors/. For general inquiries, email latanabatafestival@gmail.com.