54th Oshogatsu Matsuri (Japanese New Year Festival)

Come celebrate the Year of the Snake at the 54th annual Oshogatsu Festival in San Francisco’s Japantown! This free, family friendly event is hosted by API Legal Outreach, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) and the Japanese Community Youth Council. Highlights of the event include a variety of cultural activities, including children’s arts and crafts, live entertainment, a mochitsuki (traditional mochi-pounding ceremony) and ozoni tasting. Attendees can also bring a plain, light-colored T-shirt, and local Japantown artists will silkscreen a Year of the Snake design on it for free.

In addition, the festival will host a children’s art contest for preschool through fifth-grade students, inviting young artists to submit their creations on the theme of the “Year of the Snake.” Entries should include the student’s name, age, grade, and school. All submissions are due by January 8, 2025, at 5 p.m., and should be dropped off to Jennifer Hamamoto, JCCCNC, 1840 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94115.