2024 San Diego Bon Odori Festival (Bon Odori Dancing, Food, Refreshments..) Buddhist Temple of San Diego (Saturday)NEW

Buddhist Temple of San Diego Obon Festival. Family and community are invited to celebrate OBON, the Buddhist holiday dedicated to expressing joy and gratitude for the gifts of life, heritage, and those we have taken for granted or forgotten. We dance out of sheer gratitude for the contributions of people who made possible life as we know it. 

Free, public welcome.

San Diego Obon Date
August 3, 2024, Saturday

Festival Times
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Obon Dance Schedule
@6:00 pm: Bon Odori dancing

For the odori, refreshments and outside food vendors for the convenience of attendees.


San Diego Obon & Practices

Obon Practice
Our Bon Odori at the Temple is even more fun when we can learn new and relearn old dances. In July, rehearsals will be on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Specific dates are shown.
Sundays: July 7, 14, 21, and 28 at 11 a.m.
Wednesdays: July 10, 17, 24, 31 at 7 p.m.

Practices will be held in the Annex Hall.
There will be no practice on the first Wednesday of July, that is, July 3.

Location
Buddhist Temple of San Diego, 2929 Market Street San Diego, CA 92102

Title
Buddhist Temple of San Diego Obon Festival & Odori Event (Bon Odori Dancing, Taiko, Entertainment, Food Vendors..) Saturday

2023 Previous Year 

Festival Schedule

5:00 pm: Gates open at 5 p.m. for Entertainment and Food Vendors. We expect to have several Taiko or Japanese Folk music performers.

6:30 pm: Prior to Dancing, Opening Remarks from Dharma School and Rev. Hōkai “Smitty” Smith, who will provide our opening Gassho and recitation of Nembutsu.
7:20 pm: Intermission - Taiko
7:40 pm: Dancing resumes.
9:00 pm or Earlier: Rev. Smitty will offer closing remarks and closing Gassho and recitation of Nembutsu.

Please stay after the dance to help us put everything away. More hands make quick work!

Parking

Park on the street, dancing will be in the parking lot.

Parking Tips
Planning enough time to deal with parking challenges for our Saturday, July 29 Bon Odori.

• Share rides if possible.
• Build time into your schedule to find parking on nearby streets.
• Use drop-off on Market Street for any people in your party so they don’t have to walk several blocks.
• Uber and Lyft are also options.
• Take advantage of some of our business neighbors who have allowed us to use their parking on Market Street for this evening only. As a courtesy, please wait until the businesses close. 

Market Street Businesses Allowing Parking
• Parking will be available at the following businesses near the temple:
• Carpet Cushion Company, 2895 Market Street (11 parking spaces)
• Ballpark Auto Body, 2855 Market Street (10 spaces)
• Lutz Tires & Auto Repairs, 2853 Market Street (11 spaces)
• United Fasteners, 2852 Market Street (6 spaces)
 American Backflow Specialties, 2860 Market Street (6 spaces)

Please Note:
• Other businesses in the area are likely to tow cars parked in their lots without permission. Please park wisely.
• There is no parking in the large lot at the Fillipino-American Center (FAVA Hall) across Market Street.
• Please take care crossing Market Street on foot. It is a busy commercial throughfare.

What We’re Dancing in 2023
Here are all 19 dances planned. Most will be performed in all ten or so BCA Temple in the Southern District (Southern California and Arizona). We also sneak in several San Diego favorites!

Note: Dances listed, and their order of presentation, subject to change.

• Kyo Mo Egao de Konnichiwa (ribbon poles)
• Bon Odori Uta
• Kangi-e
• Ei Ja Nai Ka
• Gassho Ondo
• Hama Kara Mura Kara Miyako Kara (kachi kachi or clackers)
• Hibari Ondo (uchiwa/osensu, folding or rigid fan)
• Honen Bon Uta (tenugui, or towel)
• Shinran Ondo
• Bambutsu no Tsunagari (uchiwa, rigid fan)
• Memanbetsu
• Hokkai no Abarembo
• Shiawase Samba
• 1 + 1 (One Plus One) Ondo
• Pokemon
• Mottainai (tenugui)
• Hanabi Ondo
• Beautiful Sunday
• Tanko Bushi
• Bon Odori Uta (repeat)

Bon Odori Practice Location
The practices will be held inside Temple's Annex Hall.

Bon Odori Practices
Check web site

Contact
(619) 239-0896

Title
Buddhist Temple of San Diego Obon Festival & Odori (Sat only)

Location
Buddhist Temple of San Diego, 2929 Market Street San Diego, CA 92102

Obon Festival & Bon Odori Schedule

See Obon Festivals

[Please always confirm date & times, the schedule could change]

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