Bon Odori is a lively Japanese folk dance usually performed during summer’s Obon period to honour ancestors. Now you can get your seasonal groove on at Expo 2025, as the world’s fair is hosting this massive summer festival on the weekend of July 25–28. A huge red and white wooden stage and paper lanterns – quintessential elements of a traditional Obon festival – will be set up at the Expo venue on Yumeshima.
To give you an idea of the scale to be expected, there will be two Guinness World Record challenges on Saturday: one for holding the largest Bon Odori dance in the world, another for the Bon Odori danced by the largest number of nationalities. The event will be hosted by local celebrities and TV personalities across all four days, and should guarantee some exciting nights of music, dancing and all-round fun times.
Tickets for the opening night (July 25) are available only through a lottery system, but regular Expo tickets include admission to the festival on July 26–28. More information on the lottery and ticket sales is available on the Expo website.
Here’s the full schedule for the weekend:
July 25 (Fri): Opening event, 6pm-7pm (doors open at 5pm). Tickets obtained through a lottery system.
July 26 (Sat): Guinness World Record Attempt for the Bon Odori, 2pm-7.30pm. Tickets: One-day Expo ticket ¥7,500, ¥4,200 for children aged 12-17, ¥1,800 for children aged 4-11.
July 27 (Sun): Exchange Bon Dance, 3pm-8.30pm. Tickets: One-day Expo ticket ¥7,500, ¥4,200 for children aged 12-17, ¥1,800 for children aged 4-11.
July 28 (Mon): Exchange Bon Dance, 3pm-8.30pm. Grand Ring Bon Odori, 4.30pm-6.30pm. Tickets: One-day Expo ticket ¥6,000, ¥3,500 for children aged 12-17, ¥1,500 for children aged 4-11.