PHOENIX — Arizona Matsuri, the two-day festival featuring the culture of Japan, at Steele Indian School Park is back this month!
This is the festival’s 41st year in the Valley and it will gather more than 50 merchant vendors and more than 30 food vendors at the park.
“So, anything you could possibly want to purchase, ceramics, Ikebana, the small little trees [and more],” said Eileen Morgan, Arizona Matsuri Steering Committee. “We have martial arts exhibits and demonstrations happening all day. Both days, we have dance, both modern and traditional dance happening. We have taiko drumming happening both days, all day long, and between the merchandise, the entertainment and the food, it is a complete experience!”
The festival will have four stages of entertainment at the park.
“We have the Candy Man, who comes in every year, and he is an icon in the Japanese culture [for] creating these wonderful candy sculptures. So, he'll be doing demonstrations all day long. We have two different food court areas, so there's no long lines. You can spread out and get your food in all the different areas,” said Morgan.
The Arizona Matsuri will feature a new exhibit that’s centered on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“This year, we have an exhibit on the internment camps because it is the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and so our theme this year is peace. And we have exhibits that are related to the internment camps in Arizona, California and New Mexico to help educate the current population and the next generation on what happens when we don't get along,” explained Morgan.
The festival celebrates the culture of Japan and event organizers make it their mission to create an authentic experience as much as they can for Valley goers.
“And one of our really core tenets of this festival is authenticity. So, we are very adamant about our vendors, our food and a merchandise vendor to provide authentic Japanese arts and culture and merchandise and foods, so that people trust when they come here, they're not going to get some knockoff that came from some other country other than Japan. So, it's that authenticity that ends up kind of being a gateway to people's continued or expanded interest in the Japanese culture, where they end up taking a trip to Japan or studying more Japanese culture and language. So, we really look at it as a way for people to have a lovely introduction to something that they can trust is authentic,” shared Morgan with ABC15.
This family-friendly experience has no admission fee!
“We have children's activities. So, our children activity coordinator is an educator for [more than] 40 years, and so she provides wonderful activities for the children. Of course, the entertainment is always very exciting to watch. And what makes this really wonderful is it is a completely free event,” said Morgan.
IF YOU GO
- Dates: February 22 & 23 from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
- Where to go: Steele Indian School Park [300 E Indian School Rd] in Phoenix.
- You can check out the full entertainment lineup right here.
