Bon Odori Festival 20 June — Dance, Music, Food, Kids activity and Community at ISOBeyond the dance, explore our market with Japanese food, sake, natural wine, vinyl records, and more.
Bon Odori Festival at ISO — 20 June, 14h00-22h00 — Free entrance
As summer begins, we invite you to gather at ISO for a Saturday of Bon Odori, the traditional Japanese dance that brings people together through movement, music, and shared celebration!
What is Bon Odori?
Bon Odori is a traditional Japanese folk dance performed around the time of Obon (mid-August), originally to honor ancestral spirits who are believed to return to visit their living relatives. Today, it is mainly enjoyed as a joyful community celebration.
During Bon Odori, people form a circle around a central yagura (a wooden bandstand) and dance together in synchronized movements, usually accompanied by the sounds of taiko drums. Each region has its own folk songs, or ondo, which guide the dance. These days, contemporary J-pop and other popular music are often included as well.
What can you expect at the festival?
The main attraction is, of course, the Bon Odori. A group of dancers wearing yukata (Japanese summer kimono) will lead the dance around the yagura, accompanied by taiko drumming. Everyone is welcome to join in, even if you don’t know the steps, you can simply follow along! At 19:30 there will be a dance workshop for those who want to learn Kawachi Ondo (one of the dances).
There will also be a variety of food stalls serving both savoury and sweet festival favourites, including takoyaki, karaage, noodles, onigiri and traditional Japanese sweets. Japanese sake and natural wine will be available at the bar, alongside cold brew coffee and koji drinks.
You can also browse the festival market, featuring second-hand vinyl, crafts, handmade goods, and more. At 16:00, there will be a paper lantern decorating workshop, and a dedicated kids’ area with crafting activities throughout the day.
Free entrance — donations are welcome.
Programme:
14:00–22:00 Festival Open!
15:00–15:40 First round of Bon Odori 16:00–17:00 Paper lantern decorating workshop 17:30–18:10 Second round of Bon Odori 19:00–19:30 Kawachi Ondo workshop 19:30–20:00 Kawachi Ondo dancing 21:00–21:40 Final Bon Odori dance and festival finale
Isolatorweg 17
1014 AS Amsterdam
info@isoamsterdam.nl
www.isoamsterdam.nl
Wheelchair accessible
iso amsterdam is a collaborative working arena that engages the worlds of contemporary art, design and craft. With forty individual and shared ateliers, iso is gathering a multitude of creative professionals operating within an expansive range of disciplines; combining a public programme with exhibitions, screenings, lectures, focusing on performances and music events.
