49th Annual Powell Street Festival

Join us on Aug. 2 and 3 at the annual Powell Street Festival! We will be tabling in the community booths section of the festival all weekend long, plus:

• Saturday, Aug. 2 from 12-1 pm: We’re hosting a free workshop (5th floor, Vancouver Japanese Language School & Hall)
• Sunday, Aug. 3 from 2-3 pm: We’re hosting the amateur sumo exhibition (demo area, Oppenheimer Park)

As part of the festival traditions, Sumo Sundays now hosts the amateur sumo exhibition that has taken place for over 40 years. Each year, the tournament takes place on the Sunday and in 2024, we hosted our first workshop during the festival.

This event is free and open to the public. Participation in both the workshop and exhibition is on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information about other programs at the festival, visit powellstreetfestival.com.

Compete at Powell Street Festival

Registration opens at 11:30 am (until 1 pm or full) on Sunday, Aug. 3, at the Sumo Sundays booth. Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis (max. 32 competitors) with all sizes, genders and experiences welcome to participate.

New this year: To be more inclusive, half of this year’s spots will be reserved for women, non-binary and gender-diverse competitors.

Competitors will be able to self-select between recreational and competitive brackets. No sumo experience is required for either. Brackets are open-weight and open-gender. As always, we remind folks that this is meant to be a community-focused event. Our goal is to have fun and offer space for folks of all abilities to give sumo a try.

About Powell Street Festival

“Powell Street Festival is a free 2-day public event, which attracts over 23,000 local, national and international attendees. It is held in both outdoor locations and indoor venues around the Powell Street area within Vancouver’s historic Japanese Canadian neighbourhood, on the traditional unceded territories of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil- Waututh First Nations. Influenced by typical Japanese summer festivals or matsuri, PSF features something for everyone, including dance, music, film and video, visual arts, martial arts demonstrations, amateur sumo tournament, children’s activities, participatory activities, walking tours of the historic neighbourhood, craft vendors, traditional displays, delicious Japanese food, and much more. The Festival provides a platform for Japanese Canadians to perform, display their work and gain recognition.” —via powellstreetfestival.com