ABOUT maui matsuri
Maui Matsuri started as a Japanese festival on Market Street in Wailuku Maui in May 1999. It is the only Japanese festival on Maui and it is put together totally by a team of volunteers. The perpetual theme for this festival is “Kodomo No Tame Ni“, which is part of our logo. It translates to “For the Sake of the Children”. Our focus is to provide an environment for families to share and learn about the Japanese culture and pass down traditions. Ancestors came here for a better life not only for themselves but for their children and for generations to come. In this spirit, we end the festival with a traditional obon dance which encourages all ages, all religious denominations, and all ethnicities to come together to dance in honor of all ancestors.
Community Obon
Maui Matsuri this year features a solemn luminary to offer healing from the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires that took 101 lives. The Maui Interfaith Alliance is a group of spiritual leaders who have come together for a common purpose. The Alliance will lead some prayers, and lighting of 101 candles to kick-off the festival’s Obon Dancing finale. Some members of the Alliance participating are: Nā Mea ʻOli – Rev. Kealahou Alika and Fr. John A. Hauʻoli Tomoso+, Prayer in Christian Tradition – Pastor Roxanne WhiteLight, Prayer in Jewish Tradition – Chaplain Rabbi Ryan Mallek of the US Navy, Prayer in Buddhist tradition and to explain the significance of Obon – Rev. Kerry Kiyohara.
Please join us in this portion of the festival as we remember our loved ones.
passport Program
Get a FREE GIFT by getting
passport stamps at various event
locations between 3-6pm.
Business Award
Warren S. Unemori Engineering Inc.
Unemori Engineering continues to contribute its skill and experience to numerous projects on Maui, including most recently, helping with emergency housing efforts for wildfire disaster survivors.
With the theme of this year’s Maui Matsuri being “Okagesama de”, the design evokes a reverence for those prior generations who forged a path for their families and communities through humble work and dedication. The visual of the floating lantern ceremony brings to light memories of the gatherings at obon that honor those very ancestors. . You can purchase this year’s t-shirt at both Children’s Festival and Japanese Festival for $20, while supplies last.
Jonathan Yukio Clark
Jonathan Yukio Clark is a multi-disciplinary artist working in sculpture, painting, printmaking, textile, and drawing. He is Director at Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Schaefer International Gallery, where he leads the curation and implementation of the gallery’s exhibits program.Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
