Okinawa City businesses showcase their products and services this weekend.

The island’s second most populous city is gearing up for its annual industrial festival, planning to share with everyone on the island what Okinawa City has to offer.

Foodcourt outdoors serves every imaginable kind of food from local restaurants.

The 38^th Okinawa City Sangyo Festival, which most people appreciate as an Industrial Festival, takes place Saturday and Sunday at Okinawa Comprehensive Athletic Park gymnasium, and surrounding area at Hiyagon 5-3-1 in Okinawa City.  Admission is free for the festival, which runs 10 a.m. ~ 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. ~ 5 p.m. on Sunday.  Visitors should plan on using temporary parking spaces at Awase Fishing Port and free shuttle busses to the festival.

Many Okinawa City vendors will be on hand, displaying a lot of local goodies and specialties.  Various handmade stores, Tatami and Sanshin stores will be there, while in the food area, people can try international foods from a variety of restaurants.  There’s a bit of everything being baked, boiled, cooked and grilled, including pastries, pizza and sweets at a coffee shop. As a special event, the local products exhibition and sale of Yamagata, Hokkaido, Nagano and Aichi will take place.  Visitors can also make things like glass, leather and wood goods in the hands-on booth.

Live entertainment is featured on an outdoor stage on both days.

There’s more than shopping, as events Saturday begin with kids Eisa at 9:45 a.m., and move to Okinawa folk and pops music by Hikari at 2:20 p.m.  Natchy is on stage at 3 p.m., Sakura Ishado, a 15-year-old drummer, takes to the stage at 3:40 p.m., and the Ryujin Mabuya super hero show rounds out the afternoon at 4:20 p.m.

On Sunday, Ryukyu taiko is on the outdoor stage at 10:30 a.m., followed by shishimai or lion dance at 11:10 a.m., and a kids dance show at 1 p.m.  Yoshimoto’s Okinawa comedy show is at 1:40 p.m. and Sonda Eisa is at 2:50 p.m.

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