Obon Festival and Bazaar

This coming weekend is the big Obon Festival in Mountain View. This annual festival has been happening in Mountain View for the last 59 years. If you are new to the area or if you haven’t ever been before, it’s a must!
The food is fabulous. Save your appetite! Normally you would see people buy the food and eat it right away, but the trend at our Obon festival seems to be purchasing some to eat on-the-spot and then going back to buy more to take home with you. It’s that good.

They also have all kinds of Japanese dance and Taiko drum performances. One of my favorite things about the festival is the plant sale. They have lots of unusual little plants that you wouldn’t normally see in a garden store and they’re reasonably priced. There is a room full of hand-crafted items that members of the Buddhist temple have been making all year. You’ll see beautiful crocheted and knitted household items for sale. There will be a large Ikebana and Bonsai exhibition. There are festival t-shirts for sale also. I love it when I get to take home a t-shirt.

The festival is Saturday, July 16 from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday July 17 from noon to 8:30 pm. The Mountain View Buddhist Temple is located at 575 N. Shoreline Blvd. They have a big parking lot and it’s very well organized so that everyone can park pretty easily. This festival is something special and it shows the diversity and beauty of our community. The annual Mountain View Obon Festival and Bazaar is just another reason to love Mountain View.