This year’s Kabaasai event will feature 27 stores, cafes and farms promoting their wares.

Food festivals have become increasingly popular on Okinawa over the past few years, and almost every community now has one featuring locally produced food and specialties.

In Nago, a festival called ‘Kabaasai’ will take place this Saturday for the eighth time. It’s name, ‘Kabaasai,’ comes from a combination of two words, Okinawan dialect ‘kabaa’ that means ‘smell’ or ‘aroma’ and ‘sai’ meaning festival.

Participants of the last year’s event pose for a picture.

27 stores, cafes, farms, food processors and service companies are scheduled to open food and drink booths at the festival offering dishes made with ‘Yanbaru’ ingredients of the season.

As the event takes place by a beach at Nago’s 21st Century Forest Park, visitors can try stand-up paddling boards (SUP) and sabani rides in addition to enjoying the foods.

The event organizer is the Yanbaru Harusaa (farmers) Project that consists of 20 local farmers and 44 stores and companies. The group started in 2011 and organizing event to promote local Yanbaru diet. This is the season for local farmers to harvest the first crops of a variety of colorful vegetables, and cooks from participating stores and restaurants are ready to change the fresh local ingredients into delicious dishes.

The Kabaasai event takes place this Saturday from 11:00 to 16:00 at the BBQ area and beach of the 21st Century Forest Park. Admission to the event is free.

Kabaasai is a rain-or-shine event but it will be postponed to the next day in case of an inclement weather. The event has a facebook page.

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