Matsuri! Japanese Arts Festival

SANTA ROSA, CA – After a two-year break, Matsuri! Japanese Arts Festival will return this year! It will be held at Juilliard Park and the SOFA Arts District of downtown Santa Rosa on Sunday, May 21,2023, from 11am-5pm.

Performances at the admission-free, family-friendly Japanese festival will take place throughout the day in Juilliard Park. The festival will feature taiko drumming, traditional Japanese dance and music, martial arts demonstrations, and more. Once again there will be a children’s activity booth and a demonstration of mochitsuki, the pounding of sweet rice into cakes. Complementing the festivities will be exhibitors and vendors offering traditional Japanese arts, crafts, Japanese and Japanese American culture and history exhibits, and food.

Since its formal foundation in 2011, Matsuri! has become one of the signature cultural festivals in the North Bay. The event is organized by Sonoma County Matsuri Festival, whose mission is to share and promote Japanese arts and culture by providing educational opportunities and intercultural understanding in the greater Bay Area.

Matsuri! Japanese Arts Festival is funded in part by Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League and many other sponsors and donors.

“We’re thrilled to bring the festival back to the community after a break. During the pandemic, we were overwhelmed with supportive messages and inquiries we received from the community about the future status of the in-person festival. The festival is grateful for the generosity, dedication, and support of our sponsors and the entire community. It is our honor to contribute to the cultural richness and diversity of our beautiful county by showcasing traditional Japanese arts, music, and entertainment,” states Bo Laurent, Sonoma County Matsuri Festival Board President.

For more information about Matsuri! Japanese Arts Festival, please visit www.sonomamatsuri.org or email info@sonomamatsuri.org.

• Facebook Event Page

Exhbitors/food vendors: apply for the 2023 festival

See the initial application form

Advertise in our program: apply now

See the Guidelines and Submission form

Photos from previous years

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Below are some messages from participants in previous years

Nina, Ensohza Minyoshu

Thank you for pulling that all together and including Ensohza in the show. We were really thrilled to participate. It was a great afternoon. We loved participating … thanks again for including us.

Jubilith, Theatre of Yugen

A quick note of profound thanks. Saturday was a most glorious day for Theatre of Yugen in many many respects. Thank you so much for all your assistance and guidance and for helping to make such a lovely event run so very smoothly. It was a profound pleasure and honor for us to be a part of it.Already looking forward to next year! Okarada ni ki o tsukete kudasai,

Hazuki, Leaf Moon Arts

It was a great festival. Indeed, there were a lot of high quality performance and products. You guys did a wonderful job. I hope the Matsuri would keep on growing.

Chie, Japanese Womenʼs League

I thought it was such a wonderful event and we were happy to be a part of it. We are very grateful that you let us raise some money for the Japanese Earthquake Relief Fund at the Matsuri. It’s clear that all the hard work you put in paid off. Hope you’re enjoying some rest now.

Jillian – Street-Eatz

GREAT EVENT! Thank you!

Tony – Martial Arts Academy

The event was terrific.

What a great group of people. Thank you so much for putting it all together
Martial Arts Academy was proud to be part of it, and we look forward to it next year. As you have the date, please let us know because we have a busy travel schedule for tournaments, and many events we are committed to, but we want to be sure to be part of Sonoma Matsuri!

Laura

It was such a great day for a great cause. I just made it home before passing out, but then I went to the movies. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for the next Matsuri, I will be more than happy to help.

Chris Smith

Thank for this, and for inviting me to be part of Matsuri. I so enjoyed it and it seems to be it came off extremely well. Congratulations to you and everyone involved. I was happy to meet you and look forward to seeing you next time.

Sarah at Fork Catering

Thanks for including us, great crowd!

Festival attendee

Well put together, well prepared, well organized.

Festival attendee

Great opportunity to enjoy Japanese culture in our local community.

Festival attendee

You can be here and learn all day!

Festival attendee

Family friendly atmosphere.