Vancouver Basho: June 9, 2024
This inaugural event takes place ahead of the annual tournament at Powell Street Festival, offering an afternoon of family-friendly sumo in the comforts of a seated venue. Come watch three brackets (lightweight, heavyweight, open weight) featuring competitors of all body sizes and experiences from Vancouver and Seattle in an open-gender format. Witness the growing and vibrant sumo scene in the Pacific Northwest!
When: Sunday, June 9, 2024 @ 1-5 pm
Where: Templeton Secondary School (727 Templeton Dr.), Vancouver, B.C.
Tickets: Sliding scale ($15-30) or $5 for children 12 and under
For questions, email sumosundays [at] gmail [dot] com.
Thank you to Fujiya Japanese Foods and Mikado Martial Arts for making this event possible.
Powell Street Festival first took place in 1977 and has since expanded to be one of the largest and longest-running community arts festivals in Canada. Powell Street Festival Society now functions as a non-profit registered charity arts organization based in Vancouver and the Paueru Gai Area—today known as the Downtown Eastside—located on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. In addition to its signature event, Powell Street Festival, the Society offers year-round programs and collaborates with local, national, and international organizations, artists, and communities to advance equity and well-being for all. Learn more at https://powellstreetfestival.com/
Sumo Sundays is a monthly drop-in for folks interested in learning sumo wrestling techniques. Founded in 2022, our goal is to make a space inclusive of all bodies and experiences. This means no gendered matches and no experience to participate is necessary. Outside of our monthly drop-ins, we work with Powell Street Festival to organize the annual sumo tournament and exhibition, as well as occasional workshops and events with community organizations. Learn more at sumosundays.ca/about.
For over 40 years, an annual sumo tournament and exhibition has taken place at Powell Street Festival. As the tradition has been passed on from the original Sumo Fun Club to festival organizers and now slowly to the Sumo Sundays crew, we’re constantly learning [how to workshop the event]. Due to timing, this event is limited to less than an hour and takes place outside with limited seating. However, it also draws one of the largest crowds at the festival.
Hosting an indoor tournament will allow spectators to watch in a more comfortable environment. We’ll also be able to offer more opportunities for competitors to spar and work on formatting ideas to bring to Powell Street Festival.
Public registration is open! We are especially seeking fighters who are underrepresented in North American sumo. This includes people who identify as women, non-binary, trans, queer, Indigenous, Black and/or a person of colour. All spots are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Register online.
Note, that the majority of competitors were invited to participate. These competitors are either regular attendees of Sumo Sundays, have participated in the Powell Street Festival or train in their local community.
If you’re interested in competing at Powell Street Festival, this year’s exhibition will take place on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. Registration is free and on a first-come, first-serve basis on the day-of. More details to be released closer to the event.
To learn or practice sumo, Sumo Sundays offers monthly drop-in sessions available to the public. In July, we will be offering low-cost workshops for adults, children and teens sponsored by Powell Street Festival.
This event will having seating options available (bleachers and chairs). Additional venue details pending. For specific questions, please email sumosundays [at] gmail [dot] com.
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