Musing on the Making of IzumonookunI

Aretha Aoki crawling across stage with a child on her back.

IzumonookunI Blog Post Powell Street Festival Society is proud to be supporting the development of “IzumonookunI,” a multidisciplinary dance inspired by Izumo no Okuni, the 17th century cis-female founder of kabuki: a Japanese dance-drama form that currently contains little trace of its cis-female-centric, grassroots, counter-cultural origins. The following blog post is a reflection by choreographer Aretha Aoki on her motivations and ethos in … Read more

What’s New for the 45th Powell Street Festival

Welcome to the 45th Powell Street Festival!   We have adapted to public health restrictions and revamped programming so festival-goers can stay bubble-safe, yet connected to the historic Japanese Canadian neighbourhood!  Throughout the month of July, the festival website (www.powellstreetfestival.com) will be the hub for the country’s largest celebration of Japanese Canadian art and culture. We are … Read more

Community Partnership: Surrey Art Gallery

Announcing our Community Partnership with the Surrey Art Gallery The Powell Street Festival Society is pleased to announce our community partnership with the Surrey Art Gallery. The 45th Annual Powell Street Festival, taking place both online and in the historic Paueru Gai (Powell Street) neighborhood this summer, is partnering with the Surrey Art Gallery, who … Read more

Join our 2021 Annual General Meeting!

The Powell Street Festival Society’s Annual General Meeting will take place online via Zoom this year, Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 7:00 PM Pacific Time.  Please register through our Eventbrite link to receive your AGM package and Zoom Link.  Register Here Please note that Katari Taiko’s AGM starts at 6:30 pm, so please login early to support them too.     Also, your Annual Membership Top-Up is now available … Read more

Paueru Mashup Across Canada

Greetings, Courtesy of the 45th Powell Street Festival, we would like to invite everyone across the country to learn the Paueru Mashup, a taiko flashmob work that encapsulates the festival!  It’s a community dance that we can all learn and perform together one day!  Learn the dance online   and videotape yourself, then we will edit … Read more

Announcing the Stewardship of 360 Riot Walk

Announcing the Stewardship of 360 Riot Walk The Powell Street Festival Society is proud to announce its stewardship of 360 Riot Walk created by artist Henry Tsang. 360 Riot Walk is a multilingual interactive self-guided walking tour which invites participants to trace a layered history of Vancouver’s labour politics, anti-Asian racism, and community resistance in what is today the Downtown Eastside. This unique project interweaves the narratives of racialized communities, reclaiming how and what histories are told. … Read more

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #2: On Food and Culture for Community Building

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #2 On Food & Culture for Community Building  Date: February 27, 2021 Time: 1PM – 3PM PST / 4PM – 6PM EST Free admission. Registration Required. Link to register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-paueru-gai-dialogues-2-tickets-139560295601?aff=erelpanelorg Guest host erica hiroko isomura will facilitate a discussion with panelists Carmel Tanaka, Kage, and Ingrid Mendez de Cruz as they … Read more

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #1: Catalyzing Social Equity Through Culture and Connection to Place

The Paueru Gai Dialogues #1 Catalyzing Social Equity through Culture & Connection to Place Date: January 30, 2021 Time: 1PM – 3PM PST / 4PM – 6PM EST Free admission. Registration Required.  Guest host Izumi Sakamoto will facilitate a discussion with three panelists — Ayumi Goto, Kathy Shimizu and Terry Watada — as they share … Read more

Make a Wish with the Daruma

This past year has been a particularly difficult one, and we hope that 2021 has good fortune in store for us all. As you may know, darumas are seen as symbols of perseverance and luck. They’re also the unofficial Powell Street Festival mascot! The eyes of the daruma are initially blank. They are meant to be filled in on one side when a wish is made and only completed on both when that wish is fulfilled.  In the spirit of Powell … Read more

Notice of Special General Meeting Wednesday, October 14 6:30 pm PST (online)

Notice of Special General Meeting Wednesday, October 14 6:30 pm PST (online) An online Special General Meeting will take place to vote on an amendment to Powell Street Festival Society’s Constitution, making an addition to its purposes. To attend, members are requested to email nathana@powellstreetfestival.com to register in advance and to receive a link to the online meeting. Proposed … Read more

Powell Street Festival Telethon raised $64,389 for the PowellStFest Community Kitchen Program!!

Thank you!! Due to the COVID19 health crisis, the 44th annual Powell Street Festival pivoted from it’s traditional in-person celebration to an online Telethon. It was a great success raising $64,389 (a ~322% increase over the initial goal of $20,000). The donations will fund our new PowellStFest Community Kitchen and help to scale the suite … Read more

Announcing: Powell Street Festival Telethon on August 1, 2020 from 2pm –7pm  

Banner of Powell Street Festival Telethon 2020

Celebrate Japanese Canadian culture while giving back to your community! Join us for a LIVE online telethon August 1, 2020 from 2pm – 7pm to watch live performances, highlights from previous festivals, appearances from festival vendors, and so much more. Tune in with your family and friends to experience the spirit of the festival right from your home! The Powell Street Festival Society (PSFS) produces the annual Japanese Canadian (JC) outdoor festival that takes place in the historic JC neighbourhood, Paueru Gai … Read more

Winners of the 5th Annual Public Art and Design Competition for Powell Street Festival Announced 

Winners of the 5th Annual Public Art and Design Competition for Powell Street Festival Announced Vancouver, BC (Monday, May 4, 2020) – UBC’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture students Shaheed H. Karim and Amy Wu are the winners of the 5th Annual Public Art and Design Competition for Powell Street Festival Society. The team has been awarded a $1000 prize for their proposal titled Go Kingyo, a production … Read more

Mask Making Workshop

Mask Making Workshop – Accessible Skills Building Using Materials in Your Home in partnership with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Wednesday, May 20th, 2-3 PM, RSVP: Eventbrite  Laura Fukumoto will be leading a free and interactive Zoom workshop making durable reusable face coverings from everyday items found around the home – no sewing skills … Read more

Pulling Together

Dear Powell Street Festival friends and family: maintaining community connection and drawing on our individual and collective strengths is essential during this turbulent time. We are committed to employing safe and innovative ways to connect and support communities through Japanese Canadian (JC) arts and culture. In the coming weeks and months, we will host online … Read more

Lessons from I-Hotel: A reading and conversation on a San Francisco SRO with Karen Tei Yamashita

Friday, November 8 from 8-10pm  InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings, entrance on Carrall FREE In this conversation between author Karen Tei Yamashita and writer/community organizer Erica Hiroko Isomura, lessons and stories from I Hotel (Coffee House press, 2010) are discussed through the context of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood in which low-income, racialized, and stigmatized … Read more

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