Orange County Buddhist Church Obon Festival 2026

Orange County Buddhist Church presents its 2026 Obon Festival on Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19 at Western High School (501 S Western Ave, Anaheim). Obon is a public gathering to remember ancestors through folk dancing, taiko, and community food.

Note for 2026: Prior years held the festival at the church campus on Dale Avenue with parking shuttles from Magnolia High School. The 2026 edition moves to Western High School with on-site parking via Orange Ave. Confirm the Obon page before you navigate to last year's lot.

What to expect

Obon is a summer gathering rooted in Japanese Buddhist tradition: a weekend to remember ancestors, eat temple-cooked food, and join bon odori, the circle dances that close each evening. It is a multigenerational affair where families come for food, games, and entertainment, and newcomers are explicitly welcome in the dance circle.

Expect roughly 1,000 visitors per day in peak years. Daion and Seishun Taiko perform at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. both days. Bon odori starts at 6:30 p.m.; you do not need prior experience or temple membership to join. Dance practice sessions in July (see below) are the easiest way to learn the steps before the crowd forms.

Beyond food and dance, booths typically include kids' games (basketball, corn hole, prize tosses), a craft boutique, white elephant tables, and a raffle.

Schedule highlights

Both days run roughly 2:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Saturday) and 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Sunday), with taiko at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and bon odori dancing at 6:30 p.m. Parking lot hours extend 1:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with free parking and shuttle service. Enter the lot from Orange Ave.

Food and lines

The church publishes a full menu on its Obon food PDF. Typical offerings include teriyaki beef and chicken, chirashi and maki sushi, spam musubi, grilled ika (squid), wontons, somen, corn on the cob, shaved ice, boba, and imagawayaki (sweet red-bean cakes off a griddle).

A two-line system is worth knowing before you arrive:

• Imagawayaki, Okinawa dango, boba, shaved ice, and drinks each have separate booths with their own queues.
• Most other plates (teriyaki, sushi, etc.) are ordered through a central tent where you fill out a form and wait for your number.

Longtime festival-goers report imagawayaki draws the slowest line, especially when someone orders a large take-home batch. If that is your must-have item, budget time accordingly or hit that booth early in the afternoon. Takeout is available, and booths accept cash and credit cards.

Dance practice

The church lists bon odori practice in the Dale Parking Lot at 7:00 p.m. on June 29, July 1, 6, 8, 13, and 15 for anyone who wants to learn the dances before the festival. First-timers often feel less awkward in the evening circle if they attend even one practice night.

Practical planning

The festival is free and open to the public. Saturday tends to draw the heavier food lines; Sunday can be slightly lighter if you want a calmer bon odori experience.

Timing tips: Arrive before 4:00 p.m. if you want food and games without the pre-dance rush, or plan to eat after 6:30 p.m. bon odori when lines often thin. Wear comfortable shoes and summer layers; the dance circle is outdoors and the asphalt lot holds heat into the evening.

Between festival weekends, catch up on what the diaspora is actually watching: Agent Kim Reactivated is dominating Korea's summer TV ratings, and our July K-drama premiere list maps the streaming drops worth queueing after Obon.

If you are stacking July OC plans, pair Obon with Taste of Japan (June) or the Lotus Festival the prior weekend in Los Angeles. For other SoCal Obon weekends, see the Orange County events guide and Los Angeles metro calendar.

When: July 18–19, 2026
Where: Western High School, 501 S Western Ave, Anaheim, CA (parking via Orange Ave.)