Utah’s Obon Celebration

In the Japanese tradition, summer is Obon season, a time when the spirits of ancestors return to dance among the living. Utah’s Obon Festival lights up the summer sky with its vibrant celebration of Japanese culture.

Utah’s Obon Festival typically takes place in July at the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, where the state’s Japanese community invites participants to join in dances, crafts, and sampling Japanese food. Festival-goers can experience the rhythmic pulse of taiko drums and  join the lively Bon Odori folk dance that circles around a central stage.

The dance fuses ancient Japanese beliefs in ancestral spirits with Buddhist customs that commemorate and honor the spirits of one’s ancestors.

At the festival, food stalls offer an array of Japanese street food delicacies, including yakitori and freshly fried katsu and curry.

A variety of festival activities include the Obon Temae (informal, Bon Temae 盆手前 or Bonryaku Temae 盆略手前) / Chakai (formal, 茶会), a traditional Japanese tea ceremony symbolizing the ideals of tranquility, respect, purity, and reverence.