Powell Street Festival
Since 2023, Sumo Sundays has hosted the annual sumo exhibition (and more) at Powell Street Festival.
While our personal connections to sumo at the festival goes much deeper than that, our co-founders began organizing the annual sumo exhibition at Powell Street Festival under the Sumo Sundays name in 2023. Collectively, we brought in previous experiences coordinating the exhibition and past workshops with the festival, as well as personal experiences competing at the festival.
Today, Sumo Sundays hosts a community booth at the festival, leads an introductory sumo workshop as part of festival programming and organizes the annual sumo exhibition, which draws participants of all abilities, identities and experiences.
About the festival
Since 1977, Powell Street Festival (PSF) has celebrated Japanese Canadian arts and culture in the former Paueru Gai neighbourhood, currently known as the Downtown Eastside.
For two-days (currently over the BC long weekend), over 23,000 people attend the festival. Primarily taking place in Oppenheimer Park, the festival extends to indoor venues in the vicinity, including the Vancouver Buddhist Temple and the Vancouver Japanese Language School & Japanese Hall.
“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.”
What We Do
From the annual exhibition to an introductory workshop, learn more about the different ways to experience sumo and Sumo Sundays at Powell Street Festival!
In this single-elimination, open-gender format, participants of all backgrounds, experiences and identities compete for one of three bags of rice. Annually, the exhibition takes place on the Sunday of the festival within a one-hour time slot.
Registration
- Registration is free and starts the day of the exhibition (Sunday) and is on a first-come, first-serve basis with the except of women and gender diverse participants
- No experience is required; all sizes and genders are welcome to participate
- Participants are expected to return to the sign up area before the exhibition for warm-up and rules
- Mawashi (sumo belts) are provided; clothing is required underneath (including shirts)
Since 2024, Sumo Sundays has worked with Powell Street Festival to include an introductory sumo workshop as part of the festival programming. In prior years, the workshop would take place months before the festival.
The workshop takes place on the Saturday of the festival weekend and is free with participation available on a first-come, first-serve basis (max. 20 people).
What to Expect
- Free, one-hour workshop that introduces the basics of sumo wrestling
- Warm-up, basic safety rolls and sumo techniques with the option to spar at the end
- No experience is required to participate with all sizes, backgrounds and genders welcome to participate
Meet the Sumo Sundays team, learn more about our programs hosted at the festival, our year-round activities and pick up exclusive Sumo Sundays merch.
Highlights
Learn more about sumo at the 2025 Powell Street Festival.
Held on Aug. 2 and 3, sumo at the 2025 Powell Street Festival was another success!
- New merch drop with designs by Lisa Taniguchi and erica h. isomura
- First-time booth and exhibition volunteers from Toronto, Ont. and Seattle, Wash.
