In SoCal, summer kicks off a series of festivals that take place on the weekends between June and August, mainly at Buddhist churches and Japanese community centers across the region.
The backstory: Every summer, Japanese Americans in Southern California gather at temples and community centers to celebrate Obon, a joyous festival dedicated to remembering and honoring ancestors. A typical Obon festival has carnival games, home-cooked food like teriyaki chicken and shave ice, and traditional Japanese dancing. Folks of all ages don Japanese summer clothing like yukata, jinbei, and happi coats. All are welcome.
Go deeper: Find out where one is happening near you — and maybe try out a few dance moves in the process.
Get out your kachi kachi and fans. It’s Obon season.
Every summer, Japanese Americans in Southern California gather at temples and community centers to celebrate Obon, a joyous festival dedicated to remembering and honoring ancestors. Festivals typically run from June to August and include carnival games, home-cooked food, and traditional Japanese dancing.
Obon is one of the reasons that summer is my favorite time of the year. Growing up Japanese American in Southern California, the holiday conjures up nostalgic childhood memories of eating popsicles during dance practice and eating udon and teriyaki chicken.
What follows is a roundup of all of the Obon festivals in SoCal and the key information you need to participate, including how to join in the dancing festivities.
What is Obon?
Dancing typically begins as the sun sets. San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple Obon Festival, 2019.
(
Stefanie Ritoper
/
LAist
)
Obon is an annual Japanese Buddhist holiday to celebrate and honor those who have passed away. It’s like the Japanese Dia de Muertos, I jokingly tell my friends.
In SoCal, summer kicks off a series of festivals that take place on the weekends between June and August, mainly at Buddhist churches and Japanese community centers across the region. People of all ages come together to eat food, enjoy the company of friends and family, and celebrate. Because Japanese Buddhist temples (or churches, as they’re often called in the U.S.) have historically been gathering places for Japanese American communities within the U.S., these festivals are also a place to celebrate and enjoy Japanese culture.
A typical Obon festival has carnival games, like tic-tac-toe, knocking over bottles with a baseball, or fishing for prizes. Teriyaki chicken, shave ice or sata andagi are for sale. Kids run around in yukata or jinbei, and aunties in happi coats stake out their spots on the sidewalk with folding chairs to watch the festivities.
Many people dress in yukata or happi coats for the Obon festivities. In 2023, a Gardena festival attendee gave away these hand-illustrated fans to attendees.
(
Stefanie Ritoper
/
LAist
)
But the real centerpiece of the evening is Bon Odori, or Japanese dancing. As the sun sets, a large circle forms around a raised platform, where folk music plays to a steady taiko drum beat. Each song has a short series of choreographed moves that repeat, so anyone can join in and follow along, regardless of how well you know the dances. You may not know the moves at the beginning of each song, but by the end, you’ve got the hang of it.
The idea is not to sit on the sidelines and watch. If you’re able, you jump in and participate.
Some folks, particularly those who are very involved in their temple or know the dances well, go on the Obon circuit, attending multiple Obon festivals throughout the summer.
What’s the history of Obon?
Bon odori at Granada (Amache) concentration camp, Colorado, August 14, 1943. The original WRA caption estimates 1,000 dancers took part in the event held on a baseball diamond.
(
Photographer Joe McClelland
/
Densho Encyclopedia / Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration
)
While the first mention of Bon Odori was in Yamato Shinbun newspaper in Hawaii in 1905, credit often goes to Reverend Yoshio Iwanaga for introducing Bon Odori on the mainland in 1930. As a minister with a background in music and dance, he taught in multiple communities on the North American West Coast, recontextualizing Bon Odori as a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist practice, drawing music and dance from across Japan.
The Buddhist Church of San Francisco held the first Obon festival with Bon Odori in 1931. In Los Angeles, the first Bon Odori occurred in 1933 or 1934, on Central Avenue between First and Jackson Streets in Little Tokyo, at Nishi Hongwanji (Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Betsuin), where Iwanaga became the minister.
Obon dancing in the Granada (Amache) concentration camp in Colorado.
(
Obon festival (ddr-densho-159-235)
/
Densho, George Ochikubo Collection
)
The lead dancer at the Granada (Amache) concentration camp, Colorado.
(
Obon festival (ddr-densho-159-233)
/
Densho, George Ochikubo Collection
)
Koshiro Kumagai and Jutaro Gondo play taiko drums at Granada (Amache) concentration camp on August 14, 1943.
(
Bon Odori drummers (ddr-densho-37-517)
/
Densho, Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration
)
Sketch of Obon dancing at Heart Mountain concentration camp during World War II by Estelle Ishigo.
(
Japanese American National Museum (94.195.10F)
)
Emily Anderson, historian and curator at the Japanese American National Museum, says this is remarkable, considering the strong anti-Japanese sentiment at the time. There was a strong push for Japanese Americans to become more “Americanized.” Yet, Obon was a holiday that was too important to give up.
“They were like, we've lost everything else. You're not going to take this from us,” says Anderson. “There's something really powerful to me that despite all the circumstances, they still celebrated.”
How is Obon in Japan different than Obon in the U.S.?
It turns out that the way we celebrate Obon in the United States is distinctly Japanese American.
In Japan, the Obon holiday focuses on returning to your family’s hometown, visiting your ancestors’ graves, and reuniting with family and friends.
It typically falls around August 15, and Anderson says there are traffic jams and packed Shinkansen trains throughout the country as people go from the big cities back to their hometowns. Kyoto famously sends loved ones back home to the spirit world on August 16 by lighting large bonfires on the hillsides in the shape of kanji characters. Anderson says that during this time Kyoto is packed with tourists, venues often booked months in advance.
While in the U.S., many people associate Obon with the festivals, with temples often also hosting memorial services, in Japan the holiday is more intimate and low key. There are some local festivities and celebrations, but because many other bigger festivals take place in Japan during the summertime, Obon is really about spending quality time with family. Jeff Asai, in a column for Nichi Bei, likens local festivals to class reunions, with the added sentiment of paying respects to the people who came before you.
Crispy Okinawan donuts, also known as sata andagi, are a special festival food.
(
George Kiriyama
/
LAist
)
Chili hot dog rice is a truly Japanese American food. You'd have to search long and hard to find this in Japan.
(
George Kiriyama
/
LAist
)
In the U.S., Obon festivals are staggered throughout the summer to give people the opportunity to attend multiple festivals.
“There's that generosity and that desire to share that's emblematic of the Japanese American community,” Anderson says. “It's an opportunity for us to not only honor and celebrate our own identity, but share that with other people.”
Is it cool if I join the dancing? How can I learn Bon Odori?
Letting go of your ego to dance joyfully is part of the idea behind Obon dancing, according to Senshin Buddhist Temple.
(
Keith Uyemura
/
Senshin Buddhist Temple
)
Yes! It’s totally OK to join in without knowing what you’re doing. In a way, that’s kind of the point.
According to Senshin Buddhist temple’s website, part of the intention behind dancing is to be OK with looking ridiculous and put our self-consciousness aside: “It is at this moment, that we suddenly remember our indebtedness to others and truly dance joyfully – happiness is the ego getting its way; joy is being free of ego.”
The best way to learn Bon Odori is by jumping in. If you attend a festival, feel free to join the circle and just start following anyone who looks like they know what they’re doing.
If you do want to try out the moves in advance, many temples have drop-in practice sessions to learn the dances. It’s also a great way to connect with others. Find the dates for each location below.
You can also follow along with video tutorials for each of the dances online. Each year, the Buddhist Churches of America Southern District selects a short list of songs that become the standard dances at all of the festivals, though each temple might add some of its own.
I want to go! When are Obon festivals happening in 2025?
Temple groups often run booths with games to play for young and old. Nishi Hongwanji Obon Festival, 2019.
(
Stefanie Ritoper
/
LAist
)
Southern California Obon festivals start in June and go through September this year. Pasadena's festival was delayed because of the January fires. Many other Japanese American community events during the summer also incorporate Bon Odori, including Nisei Week. Japanese Citylists Japanese community events and Rafu Shimpo often covers Obon and other news relevant to Japanese American communities.
Anything missing? Let us know at feedback@scpr.org.
David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, where a massive post-fire rebuilding effort is underway.
Published April 1, 2026 4:44 PM
Fencing lines a sidewalk next to a home under construction.
(
Erin Stone
/
LAist
)
Topline:
As Los Angeles homeowners grapple with the expense of rebuilding after last year’s devastating fires, an L.A. City Council member is putting forward an idea that could lower some costs.
Who’s behind it: Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Palisades, has introduced a motion to explore waiving part of the city’s portion of the local sales tax for fire victims who purchase rebuilding materials in the city.
The details: The plan calls for returning the 1% of the local 9.75% sales tax that goes into the city’s general fund. The waiver could apply to lumber, appliances and other rebuilding goods purchased within the city.
Read on … to learn whether economists think the proposed tax relief could make a difference.
As Los Angeles homeowners grapple with the expense of rebuilding after last year’s devastating fires, an L.A. City Councilmember is putting forward an idea that could lower some costs.
Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Palisades, has introduced a motion to explore waiving part of the city’s portion of the local sales tax for fire victims who purchase rebuilding materials in the city.
The 1% of the local 9.75% sales tax that goes into the city’s general fund would be given back to consumers under the proposal. The waiver could apply to lumber, appliances and other rebuilding goods purchased within the city.
The motion, introduced Friday by Park and seconded by Councilmember John Lee, says: “The City should do everything within its power to alleviate the financial burden for these residents and businesses in order to facilitate their return and stabilize the Pacific Palisades community.”
Would it make much of a difference?
Economists told LAist the proposal could help many homeowners mitigate the high cost of rebuilding, but likely wouldn’t tip the scales for under-insured, under-resourced property owners.
“It wouldn't hurt if it's very well designed and easy to use,” said Alexander Meeks, a director at the Santa Monica-based Milken Institute. “But I'm not sure if it's really going to tackle the scale of the financial challenge that survivors are facing.”
Meeks noted that the tax waiver wouldn’t lower up-front costs such as environmental testing, architectural design and permitting. And it may not help homeowners sourcing raw materials from outside the city.
Zhiyun Li, a UCLA Anderson School of Management economist, said the waiver could help some homeowners justify the additional cost of rebuilding more fire-safe structures.
“Homeowners must typically pay out of pocket to upgrade to IBHS+ standards, which are more stringent,” Li said. “The tax waiver could encourage upgrading to IBHS+ standards or investing more in mitigation, thereby reducing future risk and improving the likelihood of maintaining insurance coverage.”
What’s next for the proposal?
The proposed tax relief would not be available to properties that have been sold since the fires started in January 2025.
The motion has been sent to the City Council’s budget and fire recovery committees. If approved by the full council, it would require the city administrative officer, the Office of Finance and the city attorney to report back to the council within 60 days on options for crafting a tax relief plan.
The motion calls for the report to consider factors such as how to minimize the burden of administering the tax relief, what documentation homeowners would have to submit and what it would cost the city to oversee the program.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the House will take up a measure passed by the Senate last week to fund most of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of September. Republicans would then attempt to fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years using a party-line budget reconciliation bill that would not require support from Democrats.
About the deal: The agreement comes nearly a week after House Republicans dismissed an identical plan, refusing to take up the Senate-passed measure and instead passing a 60-day short term funding bill for all of DHS that had little chance of overcoming Democratic opposition in the Senate. Democrats welcomed the agreement as in line with their pledge not to give ICE any more money without reforms after immigration enforcement agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. But the deal does not include any of the policy demands Democrats are pressing for, such as a ban on masks for immigration enforcement officers and requiring warrants issued by a judge, not just the agency, to enter homes.
What's next: Congress is on a two-week recess, but the Senate and House could move to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP as early as Thursday using a procedure known as unanimous consent that allows the chambers to circumvent formal voting as long as no member objects. Even during a recess when most members are not in Washington, this could be unpredictable, especially in the House, where many hard-line conservatives oppose a deal that does not fully fund DHS. If a member does object, that could require waiting for another vote when all members are back from recess.
Senate and House Republican leadership have resurrected a stalled plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a record 47-day funding lapse.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the House will take up a measure passed by the Senate last week to fund most of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of September.
Republicans would then attempt to fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years using a party-line budget reconciliation bill that would not require support from Democrats.
"In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited," Thune and Johnson wrote.
The agreement comes nearly a week after House Republicans dismissed an identical plan, refusing to take up the Senate-passed measure and instead passing a 60-day short term funding bill for all of DHS that had little chance of overcoming Democratic opposition in the Senate.
Johnson called the agreement a "joke" and President Donald Trump declined to publicly endorse the deal. Trump had previously resisted any package that did not include his push to overhaul federal elections known as the Save America Act.
"I think any deal they make, I'm pretty much not happy with it," Trump told reporters last week.
Democrats welcomed the agreement as in line with their pledge not to give ICE any more money without reforms after immigration enforcement agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. But the deal does not include any of the policy demands Democrats are pressing for, such as a ban on masks for immigration enforcement officers and requiring warrants issued by a judge, not just the agency, to enter homes.
"For days, Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote in a statement Wednesday. "Throughout this fight, Senate Democrats never wavered."
Trump seemed to bless the revived plan earlier Wednesday, writing on social media that he wants a party-line bill to fund immigration enforcement on his desk by June 1.
"We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won't be able to stop us," Trump wrote.
Despite the shutdown, ICE has been minimally impacted because Republican lawmakers approved $75 billion for ICE through another party-line budget reconciliation bill last year.
Congress is on a two-week recess, but the Senate and House could move to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP as early as Thursday using a procedure known as unanimous consent that allows the chambers to circumvent formal voting as long as no member objects.
Even during a recess when most members are not in Washington, this could be unpredictable, especially in the House, where many hard-line conservatives oppose a deal that does not fully fund DHS.
"Let's make this simple: caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again," Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, wrote on X. "If that's the vote, I'm a NO."
If a member does object, that could require waiting for another vote when all members are back from recess.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Logan Cattaneo, 6, poses for a photo with the Dodgers mascot during Dodgers Dreamteam PlayerFest at Dodgers Stadium in 2024.
(
Michael Blackshire
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
The Dodgers Foundation says it's expanding Dodgers Dreamteam, its program for underserved youth. The foundation says the program will be able to serve 17,000 kids this year, 2,000 more than last year.
Why it matters: Now in its 13th season, the program connects underserved youth with opportunities to play baseball and softball and provides participants with free uniforms and access to baseball equipment. It also offers training for coaches in positive youth development practices, as well as wraparound services for participant families like college workshops, career panels, literacy resources and scholarship opportunities.
How to sign up: For more information and to sign up, click here.
An aerial view of snow-capped trees after a winter snowstorm near Soda Springs on Feb. 20, 2026.
(
Stephen Lam, San Francisco Chronicle
/
via Getty Images
)
Topline:
California clocked its second-worst snowpack on record Wednesday, a potentially troubling signal ahead for fire season. It’s an alarming end to a winter that saw abnormally dry conditions briefly wiped from California’s drought map in January, for the first time in a quarter-century.
What happened? Though precipitation to date has been near average, much of it fell as rain rather than snow. Then March’s record-breaking heat melted most of the snow that remains. The state’s major reservoirs are nevertheless brimming above historic averages and are flirting with capacity, and a smattering of snow, rain and thunderstorms are dousing last month’s heat wave.
Why it matters: Experts now warn that California’s case of the missing snowpack could herald an early fire season in the mountains. State data reports that California’s snowpack is closing out the season at an alarming 18% of average statewide, and an even more abysmal 6% of average in the northern mountains that feed California’s major reservoirs. “I think everyone's anticipating that it will be a long, busy fire season,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.
California clocked its second-worst snowpack on record Wednesday, a potentially troubling signal ahead for fire season.
It’s an alarming end to a winter that saw abnormally dry conditions briefly wiped from California’s drought map in January, for the first time in a quarter-century.
Though precipitation to date has been near average, much of it fell as rain rather than snow. Then March’s record-breaking heat melted most of the snow that remains. The state’s major reservoirs are nevertheless brimming above historic averages and are flirting with capacity, and a smattering of snow, rain and thunderstorms are dousing last month’s heat wave.
But experts now warn that California’s case of the missing snowpack could herald an early fire season in the mountains.
On Wednesday, state engineers conducting the symbolic April 1 snowpack measurement at Phillips Station south of Lake Tahoe found no measurable snow in patches of white dotting the grassy field.
“I want to welcome you call to probably one of the quickest snow surveys we’ve had — maybe one where people could actually use an umbrella,” joked Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources. “We’re getting a lot of questions about are we heading into a hydrologic drought? The answer is, I don’t know.”
Only the extreme drought year of 2015 beat this year’s snowpack for the worst on record, measuring in at just 5% of average on April 1st, when the snow historically is at its deepest.
“I think everyone's anticipating that it will be a long, busy fire season,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.
“Without a snowpack, and with an early spring, it just means that there’s much more time for something like that to happen.”
‘It’s pretty bizarre up here’
In the city of South Lake Tahoe, which survived the massive Caldor Fire in the fall of 2021 without losing any structures, fire chief Jim Drennan said his department is already ramping up prevention efforts.
“It's pretty bizarre up here right now. It really seems like June conditions more than March,” Drennan said. “People are already turning the sprinklers on for their lawns.”
Without more precipitation, an early spring may complicate prescribed burning efforts. But Drennan said fire agencies in the Tahoe basin can start mechanically clearing fuels from forest areas earlier than usual.
“That means we can get more work done,” he said.
It also means homeowners need to start hardening their homes now, said Martin Goldberg, battalion chief and fuels management officer for the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, which protects unincorporated communities in the Lake Tahoe Basin’s south shore.
Goldberg urges residents to scour their yards for burnable materials, create defensible space and reach out to local fire departments with questions. The risks are widespread — from firewood, wooden fences, gas cans, plants, pine needles — even lawn furniture stacked against a house.
“In years past, I wouldn't even think of raking and clearing until May,” Goldberg said. “But my yard's completely cleared of snowpack, and it has been for a couple weeks now.”
‘A haystack fire’
Battalion chief David Acuña, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, said fire season is shaped by more than just one year’s snowpack.
Climate change has been remaking California’s fire seasons into fire years. And California’s recent average to abundant water years have fueled what Acuña called “bumper crops of vegetation and brush.”
“Most of California is like a haystack. And if you’ve ever seen a haystack fire, they burn very intensely because there's layers of fuel,” Acuña said.
Like Quinn-Davidson, Acuña wasn’t ready to make specific predictions about fires to come.
But John Abatzoglou, a professor of climatology at UC Merced, said the temperatures and snowpack conditions this year offer a glimpse of California in the latter decades of this century, as fossil fuel use continues to drive global temperatures higher.
How this year’s fires will play out will depend on when, where and how wind, heat, fuel and ignitions combine. But it foreshadows the consequences of a warmer California for water and fire under climate change.
“This,” Abatzoglou said, “is yet another stress test for the future in the state.”
