TICKETS, $5 per person

Pre-order tickets for Obon 2024 go on sale May 1!

Join us Saturday, July 13, 2024, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

The gates to the festival will open at 5 p.m. ET and the event will be held rain or shine.

Your e-receipt is your ticket so proceed to the pre-order ticket line when you arrive. Children 2 and under are free. 

PUBLIC PARKING

Parking is free but first-come, first-serve, as spots are limited to neighborhood streets and at the Accotink Unitarian Church, which is a short walk to the event. We encourage attendees to carpool when possible. Volunteers will be on hand to direct traffic; please follow their instructions.

DIRECTIONS

Ekoji is located at 6500 Lakehaven Lane in Fairfax Station, Virginia. Take Fairfax County Parkway to Burke Lake Road. 

VOLUNTEERS

Dozens of volunteer opportunities will soon be available for this fun event. Check back after May 1, 2024 to sign up to volunteer at this years festival.   

SPONSORS & VENDORS

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please download our sponsor letter for more information and/or email ekoji.info@gmail.com.

We have a limited number of vendor spaces available for 2024. Please contact Andrea Chapman at aoandreachapman@gmail.com for more information on this unique opportunity. 

Our gratitude to Independence Landscape and BDK America for their generous support of Obon 2023. 


ALL ARE WELCOME. THIS IS A COMMUNITY FESTIVAL. PREORDER YOUR TICKETS AND CANDLES BELOW.

WHAT IS OBON?

Obon is our annual summer Japanese cultural festival. We get together to eat, dance, and laugh as a community as a way to express our joy and gratitude for our loved ones who have passed on before us. 

Come for our Japanese “Bon” dancing, Nen Daiko performance, and delicious desserts, vendors, and children’s activities. Stay for the evening memorial ceremony where we fill our beautiful Japanese garden with hundreds of candles that represent the influences that our departed loved ones had on our lives. This moving tribute is a fitting way to end the day spent with friends, families and neighbors. 


OBON EVENT SCHEDULE

Saturday, July 13, 2024

5:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.

5:15 p.m. Opening Ceremony

5:30 p.m. Chanting and Ritual Demo (Temple)

5:45 p.m. Aloha Boys

6:30 p.m. Bon Odori (Festival Dancing led by Kikuyuki no Kai)

7:35 p.m. Taiko Performance (Nen Daiko, Dounen Daiko)

8:20 Bon Odori (Festival Dancing led by Kikuyuki no Kai)

8:40 p.m. Candlelight Service 

9:00 p.m. Obon Ends 

In between events, enjoy the children and teen game and activities, temple tours and presentations, specialty food, desserts, beverages, vendor and artisan booths. 

On Sunday, July 14 during our Obon Service at 11 a.m. ET there is a special time set aside to remember those loved ones who passed away between the Obon service last year (2023) and this year's Obon. Participants will be called to come before the Naijin, light a memorial candle for their loved one, and do gassho. If you cannot attend the service a temple representative will light the candle on your behalf. If you wish to participate in this year's Hatsubon observance please check back here after May 1, 2024 for more information. 

Ekoji Buddhist Temple 6500 Lakehaven Ln Fairfax Station, Virginia 22039 (703) 239-0500 ekoji.info@gmail.com

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software