Goldscene

Aug 29, 2026

Long Beach Buddhist Church Obon Festival 2026

Long Beach Buddhist Church Obon is a free Saturday, August 29, 2026 temple evening with hatsubon service, taiko, and two rounds of ondo dancing.

Long Beach, California · 2360 Santa Fe Ave

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Long Beach Buddhist Church Obon festival dancers and crowd.
Context image: Long Beach Buddhist Church Obon festival dancers and crowd. Long Beach Buddhist Church (Press kit / editorial use)

Long Beach Buddhist Church hosts Obon on Saturday, August 29, 2026, 3 to 9:30 p.m. at 2360 Santa Fe Ave. Admission is free.

Obon, also called Bon Matsuri, is the summer Japanese Buddhist season when families welcome ancestral spirits home. Long Beach opens with an Obon, Hatsubon, and Manto-e service from 3 to 4 p.m., then the festival side starts.

Hatsubon is the first Obon after a death in the family. If you are going for someone, arrive for the service. If you are going for the dancing, you can come later.

Game booths run 4 to 8 p.m. Umeboshi Ensemble plays at 4:30, then a yukata and kimono dressing workshop at 5, then Long Beach Kokoro Taiko at 5:30. Ondo dancing comes in two sets, 6:30 to 7:30 and 7:45 to 8:45, with a drawing before the 9 p.m. closing service.

Street parking is fine, and overflow sits at the post office lot at 1690 W. 23rd Street, one block south. Orange cones mark elderly and disabled drop-off in front of the church.

If you already did Nisei Week in Little Tokyo, this is the quieter South Bay close. Irvine's OCO Natsu Matsuri is the same weekend if Orange County is closer.

When: August 29, 2026, 3–9:30 p.m.
Where: Long Beach Buddhist Church, 2360 Santa Fe Ave, Long Beach, CA 90810

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