Samba Festival expands to Chatan and Okinawa City

Okinawa will experience a piece of Rio when the Samba Carnival gets under way on Friday and Saturday in Mihama and Okinawa City.

A two-day Samba Festival gets the music moving tomorrow evening in both Chatan and Okinawa City, entertaining and performing through Saturday.

Admission is free to the “Okinawa Samba Carnival”, the event that is independently held by “O Peixe Que Ri De Koza”. They organized participants from inside and outside of Okinawa. This is the 12thyear since the festival began, with the organizers deciding main themes and composing and recording songs by themselves every year.

The Samba Carnival keeps expanding and has spread to Mihama and Okinawa City this year.

This year, they will express the beauty of traditional stain weave in Okinawa known as bingata. Bingata is one of traditional dyeing techniques representing Okinawa.

Until last year, the carnival has been held only in Okinawa City. Starting this year, the Okinawa Samba Festival is performing not only in Okinawa City Goya area on Saturday, but also on Friday evening at 7 p.m.  in Carnival Park in Mihama, Chatan.  Admission is free at both sites.

Samba is fun to dancers of any age.

Saturday kicks off with a parade in Okinawa City:

2:30 p.m. Parade from Hwy 330 to Gate 2 Street

3:30 p.m. Mini stage performance (Gate 2 Street)

5:30 p.m. Samba Live, Samba Queen Contest, Ryukyu Bombers on Stage, Capoera (Brazilian Jujitsu), all in Music Town square

6:30 p.m. Mini-parade (Goya)

7:30 p.m. Samba Night in Live House 7th Heaven Koza

In the past, many U.S. base-related families have participated this carnival. If there is someone who wants to join this carnival next year, please contact the organizers at opeixe38@hotmail.com

23:41 29 Mar , 2024