Soto Zen Bon Festival

Start: Friday, June 27, 2025 5:00PM
End: Saturday, June 28, 2025 10:00PM

The Soto Zen Bon Festival showcases the best of the Bon Dance culture in Hawaii. The folk and religious traditions have evolved on Kauai for over five to six generations in the Japanese American community. The Bon festival serves to educate not only visitors but other island residents about this unique cultural tradition, including descendants of Japanese ancestry who can deepen their own understanding of their heritage. The festivities are held at the temple grounds, where the center stage is the bon odori, the Japanese folk dancing with lively music while the taiko drums provides the rhythm and energy. The dancers line in concentric circles around a raised platform (yagura), dressed in colorful kimonos, yukatas, and happi coats, under a canopy of lanterns.