Posted:
8/11/2025 |
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Date: August 11, 2025
Contact: Missouri Botanical Garden Public Relations Dept.
Phone: (314)-577-0270 (media use only)
Email: jeidson@mobot.org (media use only)
For Immediate Release
JAPANESE FESTIVAL RETURNS TO MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN LABOR DAY WEEKEND
St. Louis remains home to one the largest, longest-running festivals of its kind in the U.S.
WHAT: 48th annual Japanese Festival
WHEN: Saturday, August 30 and Sunday, August 31 | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Monday, September 1 | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., south St. Louis
COST: $18 General Admission, $9 Member Admission, $9 for children ages 3-12, free for Member children
SPONSORS: Nidec Corporation and Safety National
INFO: mobot.org/japanesefestival
Photos available for media use.
(ST. LOUIS) This Labor Day Weekend, the Missouri Botanical Garden is hosting one of the largest and longest-running celebrations of Japanese culture in the country. The annual Japanese Festival features local and international performers, authentic cuisine, unique merchandise, hands-on classes, demonstrations and more.
Since 1977, the Garden has partnered with local Japanese American organizations to host this event. This collaboration continues to offer authentic Japanese music, art, dance, food, and entertainment for a festival that has grown to reach over 50,000 visitors each year.
In 2025, the festival will offer guests of all backgrounds an opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of Japan. This year’s festival features the return of sumo wrestling, dance performances and martial arts demonstrations, as well as new performers, vendors and interactive activities.
The festival runs 9a.m.–9 p.m. on Saturday, August 30, and Sunday, August 31, and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Monday, September 1. Tickets are on sale now at mobot.org. Admission is $18 for General Admission ages 13 and over and $9 for Garden Members and non-member children. Member children (ages 12 and under) are free. Visit www.mobot.org/japanesefestival for more details.
Featured Performances and Demonstrations:
On Saturday morning, guests are invited to join a parade through the Garden starting at 9:30 a.m. before enjoying a lively opening ceremony at 10 a.m. in the Japanese Garden. During the ceremony, honored guests, including government officials and dignitaries from sponsoring organizations, will officially open the festival. Opening ceremonies will include music, remarks by distinguished guests, the ritual of kagamiwari (breaking into the sake barrel), and a performance by the St. Louis Osuwa Taiko drummers. Guests 21 and older can take part in the opening ceremony by purchasing a novelty Masu cup to enjoy the ceremonial sake.
This year, the Garden has once again partnered with USA Sumo to bring you three of the most popular sumo wrestlers in the world. The all-star lineup includes Ichi, winner of the Emperor’s Cup, which is the highest award in all Pro Sumo; Hiroki, the heaviest sumo wrestler in the world at 570 lbs; and Mendee, winner of the 2022, 2023, and 2025 US Sumo Open.
The three sumo champions will demonstrate their craft at the Cohen Amphitheater Stage two times per day for each day of the festival. After each demonstration, guests can take a photo with the sumo wrestlers and get an autograph.
Guests will be delighted by Bentenya, a chindon group traveling throughout the festival grounds with glamorous kimonos, colorful wigs and lively music. This unique street performance style is used in Japan as a way to promote businesses with theatrical flair.
Hailing from Nagoya, the all-female Bentenya group is performing for the first time at the Japanese Festival in 2025, but are well-known in internationally for their performances in theaters, on television and musical tours.
Visitors will encounter Bentenya throughout the festival grounds all weekend long and can catch them at the Cohen Amphitheater Stage once each day.
This year, the Japanese Festival is expanding its Ikebana, Bonsai and Wagashi demonstrations, highlighting the Japanese horticulture and culinary arts. Demonstrations will now take place inside the Bayer Event Center, allowing more guests to learn from experts and try hands-on classes.
Visitors are invited to learn how Zen and simplicity is prioritized in Ikebana floral design and marvel at the meticulous care required to grow and shape the iconic Bonsai. Culinary experts will also be offering interactive Wagashi demonstrations, allowing guests to make their own intricate confectionaries.
On Saturday and Sunday evening, learn about Obon, the festival when the spirits of the dead return to spend time with the living, by participating in a Toro Nagashi ceremony. Lanterns are inscribed with the names of those deceased, then lit and set afloat as a way of accompanying the spirits as they depart for another year.
From 8 p.m.–10 p.m. enjoy self-guided, evening-hour tours around the Japanese Garden, splendidly illuminated by shoji lanterns.
Along with highlighting the historic arts and performances of Japan, the festival also features modern elements of Japanese culture that have grown in international popularity. Cosplayers are welcome at the Japanese Festival and are invited to model their character-inspired costumes at the Cosplay Showcase.
The festival will also host an anime film viewing on Saturday and Sunday night. The film “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” is a family-friendly film created by former animators of the iconic Studio Ghibli. The film will be shown in English to be accessible to all guests.
Throughout the festival, shop for souvenirs and merchandise at the Japanese marketplace and the Garden Gate Shop. Sample Japanese cuisine at the outdoor food court, including sushi, kombucha, Japanese soda, Japanese-inspired sandwiches and more.
For additional photos of past Japanese Festivals, please email jeidson@mobot.org.
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The Missouri Botanical Garden’s mission is “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life.” Today, 166 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display.