Obon Festival

The Obon Festival is a Buddhist ceremony originating in Japan meant to honor ancestral spirits and remember the departed.

Experience the honoring of ancestors and savor traditional foods, culture and fun of Humboldt’s Third Annual Obon Festival. Obon is a traditional Japanese Festival to honor those who came before.

We are excited to have Rev. Rinban Sakamoto from the San Jose Buddhist Church return to Humboldt to bless our festival and share the stories and traditions of Obon. There will be an altar to honor our ancestors, a community tree for people to write messages on tanzaku (slips of paper) to their loved ones that have passed and then hang their message on the trees. Join in the Obon dancing, enjoy taiko drumming, food vendors (Asian and Pacific Islander cuisine), artists, children’s activities, and more.