2023 Belle Isle KOI Festival Event - Live Taiko, Ikebana, Japanese Games, Musical Performances..(2 Days)NEW

In 2017, the Belle Isle Conservancy hosted the first Koi Festival event at the Belle Isle Aquarium. The Koi Festival is a family friendly event that brings the community together to celebrate the Japanese heritage of the  quarium’s Koi collection. In alignment with Children’s Day, which is celebrated in Japan on the 5th of May, the  Koi Festival celebrates the symbolism of the Japanese carp in its native culture and offers aquarium visitors a chance to experience elements of Japanese culture. Past activities have included traditional games, martial arts demonstrations, music, and crafts inspired by Japanese traditions along with a selection of Japanese inspired cuisine. 

Festivals Dates
May 6 - 7, 2023 (2 Days)

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Saturday Schedule - May 6, 2023 | 12pm - 4pm

"Make and Take" Mini Ikebana
Hosted by: Ikebana International Detroit Chapter 85 *activity available while supplies last*

Kamizumo | Paper Sumo Wrestling
Hosted by: Great Lakes JET Alumni Association

Story Time | Yasuko and the Dream Eater 
with author, A. Kidd 1:00pm , 3:00pm​

Japanese Games + Activities
Hosted by: Belle Isle Conservancy

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Sunday Schedule - May 7, 2023 | 12pm - 4pm

Musical Performances by:
Sakura Japanese Instrumental Group, Ensemble Hanabi, Great Lakes Taiko

Kamishibai | Paper Theater Story Time
Hosted by: JSD Women's Club

Kamizumo | Paper Sumo Wrestling
Hosted by: Great Lakes JET Alumni Association

​​Japanese Games
Hosted by: Belle Isle Conservancy

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Lengend of the Carp
Japanese folklore tells stories of the Koi fish as warriors of the water who, in some tales, ultimately reach their destiny by turning into a dragon after swimming upstream and reaching the top of the falls. According to legend, if a Koi fish succeeded in climbing the falls at a point called Dragon Gate on the Yellow River, it would be transformed into a dragon. The fish are regarded as a symbol of perseverance in Japan because hey are known for swimming upstream no matter what the conditions are.

Koi, more specifically, Nishikigoi, is translated from Japanese as “brocaded carp.” Wild koi are native to the fresh bodies of water around the Black, Caspian and Aral Seas. These fish are colorful, ornamental versions of the common, or Amur, carp native to the freshwaters of Asia. The Koi is known in Japan as the "warrior's fish". Each May for the Boy's Day Festival, beautiful Koinobori streamers in the shape of Koi are flown from poles to represent the Japanese parents' hope that their sons will demonstrate courage and strength. The Belle Isle Conservancy Koi Festival is greatly influenced by the Boy's Day celebrations and traditional Japanese festival games.

Though carp domestication is believed to have begun in China as far back as the 4th century, modern Japanese Koi are believed to date back to early 19th-century Japan where wild black carp (or Magoi, a type of common carp) were kept and bred by rice farmers as a food source to survive severe winter weather conditions. The result born from this was a vibrantly colored carp with an admirable figure that stood out from the rest with it’s rare beauty.  As the farmers developed their breeding operations, they figured out how to breed fish of specific color combinations, and as awareness grew many started to appreciate Nishikigoi like a fine work of art. The world was not aware of Koi color variations in Japan until the early 1900’s when Koi were exhibited in Tokyo, Japan and now, after centuries of breeding  there are now dozens of different color varieties of Koi.

Koi can grow up to 3 feet (90 centimeter) in length and weigh more than 12 pounds each. They are omnivorous feeders who will eat food found at all depths of water. Our collection of Koi are fed a floating pellet, though they will also eat aquatic insects, algae and plants.  They can even be trained to eat from your hand. Koi have an average lifespan of 40 years, and it is believed that the oldest-known Koi lived to be nearly 230 years old. A fish's age is determined by testing it's scales, which produce growth rings much like a tree.

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