JANM Presents Free 2025 Natsumatsuri Family Festival on Saturday, August 16

Editors please note: JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation; programs will continue on the JANM campus and at other locations at janm.org/OnTheGo. 

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) presents the 2025 Natsumatsuri Family Festival on Saturday, August 16, 2025 from 12 p.m.–5 p.m. The free family festival celebrates the summer at JANM’s Democracy Center and the Norman Y. Mineta Democracy Plaza. RSVP at janm.org/natsumatsuri2025.

This year’s festival features a range of cultural performances, crafts, and activities for families and kids of all ages. Guests will get a chance to participate in cultural performances like taiko, bon odori dancing, and improv comedy with Cold Tofu. They will also get a chance to make and decorate their own paper sun hats, add their wishes for the US’ 250th birthday to the Democracy Center’s “Wish Wall,” go on a scavenger hunt in Little Tokyo, and join in the fun at the Nisei Week Plaza Festival.

The 2025 festival also includes exclusive activities related to JANM’s new exhibition, Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community, that is now on view through November 12, 2025, at the ArtCenter College of Design’s Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery in Pasadena. Guests can make origami cars with the Cruising J-Town logo and create their own cruise through a town of their own making. They can participate in story time with author and professional drift racing driver Nadine Sachiko Hsu as she reads from her new book, Sachiko and the Bully. Hsu’s hot pink 1989 Nissan 240SX from her days with the Drifting Pretty team is in the Cruising J-Town exhibition.

The full schedule of activities are as follows: 

All Day Activities

Ruthie’s Origami Corner
Democracy Lab
Fold an origami car in celebration of our new exhibition, Cruising J-Town.

Photo Booth
Norman Y. Mineta Democracy Plaza 
Take a souvenir photo with friends, family, and fun props from Mighty Little Studio.
Express lane for Members!

Construct Your Cruise
Democracy Lab
In conjunction with our new exhibition, Cruising J-Town, create your very own car and take it cruising through a town of your making!

Paper Sun Hat
Democracy Lab
Make and decorate a hat to protect yourself from the summer sun in style!

Wish Wall
Norman Y. Mineta Democracy Plaza 
What is your wish for the United States’ semiquincentennial (250th birthday)? Add your wish to our pop-up “Wish Wall” on the Democracy Plaza.

Little Tokyo Scavenger Hunt
Democracy Center 
Explore the historic neighborhood and win a special prize!
While supplies last. Members receive two chances to win!

JANM Store Pop-Up
Democracy Center 
Support JANM’s work and find unique, cultural gifts for everyone when you purchase select products from the JANM Store in the Democracy Center lobby.

Los Angeles Public Library
Norman Y. Mineta Democracy Plaza
Sign up for a library card and make fun crafts!

Nisei Week Plaza Festival
Japanese American Cultural and Community Center
From 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Head across the neighborhood for food, games, booths (find us there on the go!), and live entertainment at this family-friendly event.

Scheduled Activities 

12:15 p.m.–1 p.m
Sachiko and the Bully Reading 
Tateuchi Democracy Forum
Join author and former professional race car driver Nadine Sachiko Hsu for a reading and signing of Sachiko and the Bully, available in the JANM Store.

1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Obon Lecture and Community Dance
MOCA Geffen Plaza
Learn about Japan’s obon festivals, which honor and celebrate the spirits of ancestors. A group bon odori (traditional dance) will then be led by Elaine Fukumoto.

2:30 p.m.–3 p.m.
Cold Tofu Improv and Comedy Group
Tateuchi Democracy Forum
Enjoy a performance by the nation’s longest running Asian-American improv and sketch comedy group as they improvise scenes and games based on audience suggestions.

3 p.m.–5 p.m.
Hot Wheels Race Track by Old Japanese Car Meet
Norman Y. Mineta Democracy Plaza
Gather your friends and family for a die-cast race with scaled speeds.

3:15 p.m.–4 p.m.
Sachiko and the Bully Reading 
Tateuchi Democracy Forum
Join author and former professional race car driver Nadine Sachiko Hsu for a reading and signing of Sachiko and the Bully, available in the JANM Store.

4 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Makoto Taiko Performance
JANM Courtyard
Wrap up the festival with a performance by Makoto Taiko, a taiko group that connects and empowers people of all backgrounds by advancing the practice of taiko with intention and sincerity.

The Natsumatsuri Family Festival is sponsored by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Nissan Foundation, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and the Port of Long Beach. The media sponsor is The Rafu Shimpo.

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About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

Established in 1985, JANM promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a center for civil rights, ensuring that the hard-fought lessons of the World War II incarceration are not forgotten. A Smithsonian Affiliate and one of America’s Cultural Treasures, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories. JANM is a center for the arts as well as history. It provides a voice for Japanese Americans and a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public in 1992, JANM has presented over one hundred exhibitions onsite while traveling forty exhibits to venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and to several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America. JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation; programs will continue on the JANM campus, throughout Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Southern California, and beyond from early January 2025 through late 2026. For more information, visit janm.org/OnTheGo or follow us on social media @jamuseum.