POWELL STREET FESTIVAL SOCIETY
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Mission Statement
The Powell Street Festival Society’s (PSFS) mission is to cultivate Japanese Canadian arts and culture to connect communities.
About This Cause
Our main activity is producing the Powell Street Festival (PSF) in Vancouver’s historic Japanese Canadian neighbourhood, Paueru Gai. PSF is an annual celebration of Japanese Canadian arts and culture. In addition to PSF, we engage in co-presentations and collaborations with local arts organizations and community networks to produce an annual season of cultural and artistic programming. A significant part of our year-round programming is our DTES Community Care Program, which is a suite of social justice programs that services Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The DTES Community Care Program includes: the Hanami Cherry Blossom Picnic, Minori Harvest, the Asahi Tribute Game, the Giving Ceremony and the PowellStFest Community Kitchen. These programs aim to raise awareness of Japanese Canadian history and culture, while creating inclusive, capacity-building experiences that foster economic and social equity for everyone. PSFS’s Values: Community: We foster engagement, collaboration and accessibility. Artistic Excellence: We cultivate and support artists and cultural producers. Inclusivity and Diversity: We program events and activities that welcome a wide range of participants, striving towards barrier free experiences. Heritage: We honour the location of Paueru Gai and Japanese Canadian history. Through this, we acknowledge a larger narrative of displacement and colonization. Resilience: We protect and maintain the financial and operational viability of the organization. Through this, we strive to sustain our capacity to fulfill our mandate and strengthen community. Signature Event: The Powell Street Festival The Powell Street Festival is the largest event of its kind in Canada and the longest running community arts festival in the Lower Mainland. Inaugurated in 1977, the Powell Street Festival is free to the public. It is held in both outdoor locations and indoor venues around the Powell Street area within Vancouver’s historic Japanese Canadian neighbourhood, on the traditional unceded territories of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil- Waututh First Nations. Influenced by typical Japanese summer festivals or matsuri, PSF has developed into a unique Vancouver event. Over the course of the 2-day event, we attract nearly 17,500 local, national and international attendees. PSF features something for everyone, including dance, music, film and video, visual arts, martial arts demonstrations, amateur sumo tournament, children’s activities, participatory activities, walking tours of the historic neighbourhood, craft vendors, traditional displays, delicious Japanese food, and much more. We present new works and new Japanese Canadian artists each year, representing the wealth of Japanese Canadian artistic creativity and stimulating the local professional arts community with outside talent and expertise. The Festival provides a platform for Japanese Canadians to perform, display their work and gain recognition. The Festival’s unique character, with its combination of professional and community arts and culture, provides a climate ripe for community development and exchange. Though produced and presented by the Powell Street Festival Society, the Festival has a vast array of community partners who are integral to its success and feel. It is equally a showcase of talent and culture, as it is a community building opportunity, and a community bridge where the general public can access, learn and experience the diversity of Japanese Canadian arts and culture.