Japan Festival at Boston Common

Boston Common will turn into a two-day Japan Festival this weekend, with free admission from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26. (japanfestivalboston.org) Organizers say the event will spread across Boston Common and an expanded Downtown stage area, adding more performances and booths to the setup visitors saw in prior years. (downtownboston.org) The festival guide lists food, music, dancing, workshops, community groups, vendors, and cosplay events, including a Cosplay Fashion Show and a Cosplay Death Match. (japanfestivalboston.org) This year’s food lineup includes 24 booths from Boston and Japan, with vendors serving ramen, dumplings, traditional sweets, and other dishes. (japanfestivalboston.org) Japan Festival Boston describes itself as a volunteer-run event, and Meet Boston lists admission as free at Boston Common, 139 Tremont Street. (japanfestivalboston.org, meetboston.com) The festival began in 2012 to mark the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry blossom trees to Washington, and the Japan Society of Boston says it has since grown into the largest Japanese festival on the East Coast. (japansocietyboston.org) That scale has made the weekend a regular stop on Boston’s spring events calendar, alongside other citywide festivals and outdoor programming in April. (meetboston.com) For visitors, the practical details are simple: Boston Common, free entry, and two days of stage shows, food lines, workshops, and vendors starting Saturday morning. (meetboston.com, japanfestivalboston.org)