Oita Japan Festival

The Oita Japan Festival returns to the Long Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, July 30, 2026. It's an annual celebration of Japanese culture and the sister city relationship between Austin and Oita, Japan, put on by the Austin-Oita Sister City Committee. Oita has been one of Austin's thirteen sister cities since 1990, and the committee's mission is to promote public interest in the culture, people, languages, businesses and products of both cities.

The festival brings Japanese sights, sounds and flavors to Austin with authentic food and drink, kids' activities and a curated marketplace of unique goods. Alongside those, there's a mix of contemporary and traditional Japanese music, drumming, dance and martial arts—sumo, kendo, judo, iaijutsu and karate. A tea ceremony and a shodo calligraphy session are also part of the day, so you can see the more meditative side of things as well as the high-energy stuff. It's a family-friendly event, and the variety means you can spend your time however you like: eating your way through the food, watching the demonstrations, or browsing the marketplace.

On the performance side, this year's lineup includes Sho Humphries, Maru Haru, Austin Taiko, A-wake and Princess Shae. Between the drumming, the dance and the martial arts, there's plenty to keep you moving from one thing to the next.

Doors open at 11 AM at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W. Riverside. Tickets are $25 for adults 13 and up, $20 for seniors, students and children ages 3 to 12, and free for children 0 to 2.