2015 - 7th Annual Los Angeles Tanabata Festival: Presentation to Sponsor Union Bank, Little Tokyo (Arts & Crafts, Food, Games, Entertainment..)NEW

This year, the 7^th Annual LA Tanabata Festival will be held on August 14 -17, 2015, in Little Tokyo. The Festival will offer arts and crafts, traditional Japanese festival foods, games and live entertainment on Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16.  The festival is admission free and starts at 11am and goes until 9pm (Sat. 9/15) and 5pm on Sun. 9/16).  Opening ceremony will be held on Friday, August 14 at 5 pm.  The Festival features hundreds of gigantic kazari (ornaments) hung in front of MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art, at the Geffin) on Central Avenue and First Street.

Dates & Times (Each Day - Times are Different)
Fri: 5pm to 8pm
Sat: 11am to 9pm
Sun: 11am to 6pm
Mon: Viewing Kazari Decorations only 8am to 1pm

Brian Kito, (LTPSA president) commented "The LA Tanabata Festival committee invites everyone to make a Kazari (traditional paper ornament) to participate in the festival this year.  "Heart and Soul" is this year's theme in tribute to Nancy Kikuchi a long-time committee member."

One added event for beginners is the 'green project' of reusing washi paper. So we are asking past participants to bring in their unused paper that they will not be using, to help lower the cost for the first timers. Donors can bring in the used paper before June 7^th.

Workshops are held on every Sunday in May and every Saturday in June to help 'first timers' and to show all the new washi paper from Japan.  A Special origami lecture is scheduled for Sunday, May 24 from 1 to 3pm at the Koban. Check our website for the full workshop schedule through August, which is subject to change.

Volunteers are needed to put on this event every year.  If you and family members or friends would like to be a volunteer for the LA Tanabata Festival , please come to the first volunteer recruiting meeting on Saturday, June 13,at 2pm at the Little Tokyo Koban (LTPSA) at 307 E. First Street. 

For high school students that would like to do some community service, we will issue letters of volunteerism. Come join us and help make our 7^th Annual LA Tanabata Festival a success!!!

For more information, please go to our website at http://www.tanabatalosangeles.org/ or call the Little Tokyo Koban @ 213 613-1911. The Little Tokyo Koban (LTPSA) is open Monday – Saturday, 10am - 6 pm.

The Festival is presented by the LTPSA/Little Tokyo Koban, the Japanese Prefectural Association of Southern California and the Nisei Week Festival.