Join us for the annual Japanese star festival! Tanabata 七夕 at the garden is a family-friendly event that we celebrate with magnificent colors, craft making, and a tradition of writing wishes. This year, we are going to celebrate on July 6 (as our Family Saturday event) and on July 7, original Tanabata day.
The origin of Tanabata comes from the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi, star crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way. Each year on the evening of July 7, Orihime and Hikoboshi are allowed to reunite for one night only. In Japan, Tanabata is celebrated by decorating bamboo branches with origami ornaments and tanzaku, poems or wishes written on small strips of paper.
Or garden visitors will have the opportunity to write wishes and tie them to bamboo sticks in the garden.
Admission to the garden will be free for youth 12 and younger from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on Saturday, July 6. Final entry to the garden is 45 minutes before closing.
Event schedule:
(All event schedule and activities are subject to change)
Bunraku Performance by Thistle Theatre (2023)
Saturday 7/6
1:00–1:45 p.m. Thistle Theatre
11:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Tanzaku Wishing Station
*Last entry to the Garden is 45 minutes before closing at 6:15 p.m.
Sunday 7/7
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Japanese Art and Crafts
1:00–1:45 p.m. Dekoboko Taiko
11:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Tanzaku Wishing Station
