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Powell Street Festival: 35 Years of Building Community

Jay Hirabayashi and Barbara Bourget of Kokoro Dance. Photo: Stuart Davis /PNG

Artist Profiles and Success Stories

“Local businesses are always proud to be a part of the Powell Street Festival. It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate one of the many aspects of what makes our community unique – its rich Japanese Canadian heritage.”

Joji Kumagai, executive director, Strathcona Business Improvement Association, Vancouver

In August 2010, one of Canada’s most vibrant community festivals once again brought art, music and colour to Vancouver’s historic, yet challenged Downtown Eastside. The Powell Street Festival is known for the high calibre of artists it presents, but also for fostering a strong sense of community. It pays homage to the neighborhood’s Japanese heritage and the thriving Japanese-Canadian community that existed before WWII when members of this community were forced into internment camps. This year, festival-goers explored some of Powell Street’s historic buildings through an open-doors event organized with the Japanese Canadian National Museum and with the cooperation of local businesses and organizations. The festival, Vancouver’s longest-running arts fest, celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2011.