- Hundreds gathered in Salt Lake City for the 90th annual Obon Festival.
- Despite the heat, attendees enjoyed performances and cultural events, including traditional dances.
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared July 11, 2026, as Japanese Heritage Day.
SALT LAKE CITY — The soaring temperatures of an early July evening did little to stop hundreds of people from gathering in downtown Salt Lake City to participate in the 90th annual Obon Festival.
The festival is a way for attendees to honor and remember their ancestors.
There was plenty of water available for the hundreds of guests who came to celebrate Obon. Teams of Boy Scouts carted around 5-gallon coolers of water, refilling the refill stations that dotted around the block…