2025 Let's Go to Tanabata! Celebrate Tanabata also Known as Star Festival-A Cherished Tradition in Japan for Centuries (2 Days)NEW

Tanabata - Make a Wish with Tanzaku. This year, we are not hosting a festival-style Tanabata event. Instead, we invite you to experience the heart of this cherished tradition in a peaceful, reflective setting at the Garden.

Tanabata, or Japan’s Star Festival, is celebrated on July 7th and is rooted in the romantic legend of two lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, who are allowed to reunite once a year by crossing the Milky Way. In Japan, people honor this occasion by writing their hopes and wishes on colorful paper strips called tanzaku, which are then hung on bamboo branches in the hopes that their dreams will come true.​

At the Garden, you can participate in this meaningful custom by writing your own wish and hanging it on our decorated bamboo display. ​​​​Join us in celebrating Tanabata through creativity, tradition, and heartfelt wishes beneath the summer sky.

Date
July 5th - 6th, 2025

Time
During Summer Operating Hours

Tickets

Location
Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix is located at 1125 North 3rd Avenue, between 3rd Avenue and Latham (2 blocks North of Roosevelt). Parking is available at the garden. When riding the Light Rail, exit at the Central and Roosevelt stop. The Garden is located on the west side of the rail, 0.3 miles from the station; it is directly behind the Irish Cultural Center (1106 N. Central Ave, Phoenix), just north of Portland Avenue. The Garden entrance is across the parking lot at 1125 N. 3rd Avenue.

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Location
Phoenix Japanese Friendship Garden - Ro Ho En, 1125 N 3rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85003

Festival Title
Let's go to Tanabata! Celebrate Tanabata Also Known as Star Festival-A Cherished Tradition in Japan for Centuries

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