Should we do it, or not?
Should we run a live, in-person event, or online? These were the questions that plagued the Omatsuri committee (please excuse the pun.) Was it responsible? Would the next Covid variant be even more dangerous than the last one? Was it the right thing to do? Watching the hospital statistics didn’t look very promising – Covid was still going strong. Usually, planning for Omatsuri starts in September of the previous year, but with uncertainty looming, the decision to go for it wasn’t made until well into May. With all these questions in mind, the committee got things under way. In record time, and with huge investment from all the volunteers (and I mean a lot of volunteers who stepped up to make it happen), Omatsuri 2022 came to be.
Luckily, many members of the previous Omatsuri organizational committee came back on board, and the former Omatsuri Chair, Ted Wada, prepared a huge “bible” of planning material for the festival. This, in addition to all the volunteers, made it possible to pull off Omatsuri in such a truncated timeline. Supply chain issues and lack of staff made it incredibly difficult for many of our regular sponsors, participating suppliers, exhibitors, and performers to be part of this past year’s Japanese Festival, but despite the challenges, some of our regulars were able to take part in the 2022 event. We are so grateful for those that could participate this year and hope that others will be in a position to join the festivities again next year.
Our team of Omatsuri volunteers were amazing, whether they were directing parking, helping with the stage, setting up the venue, or cleaning up. There were too many important contributions from volunteers to be listed here, and every volunteer was critical in making the festival a huge success. The 2022 event also saw several new innovations due to Covid, such as tap payment, venue set up, improved volunteer registration and tracking, and a more in-depth utilization of social media and social influencers.
Children’s attendance was free this year, and our best estimates show about 5 to 6 thousand Calgarians came out to enjoy the 2022 Japanese Festival Omatsuri. Throughout the day, I talked with several people who had come out – everyone told me they’d had a great time and enjoyed the stage performances, indoor market, activities, displays, and food and beverage vendors. That’s a pretty sure sign of success, and a big win for everyone.
The outdoor food vendors were hopping busy all day, and Kinjo and Ke’s restaurant stands had to restock several times throughout the day (I think I saw Kinjo’s team restock 4 or 5 times!) Sake and beer sold out completely, as did many of the other food vendors. Nobody knew what to expect or how much food to prepare, but the amount of support the event received from Calgarians was a wonderful surprise.
Around the midpoint of the day, our contact with the City of Calgary Event Services came by to see how everything was going. I had a chance to sit down with her in the food court area outside to chat. She nodded her head while looking around and said how great the turnout was and how impressed she was with the diversity of our volunteers – diversity in age, gender and ethnicity. The Japanese Festival was truly blessed to have such a great group of people donate their time to make the event what it was.
CBC did an interview to promote the event, posters and road banners were placed, and many social media posts and streams helped get the word out. The day started with a long queue to get in, which remained steady all day. One thing that was great to see was how many people used public transit and the LRT station that was just a 3-minute walk from the venue. This really helped with parking, as did the volunteers who helped manage the traffic in and out of the parking lot.
The goal of the Omatsuri is to share Japanese culture with Calgarians. Seeing all the volunteers, partners, and participants (including Japanese Consul-General Uchida, who spent most of the day at the festival) was heart-warming.
Looking back at the 2022 Calgary Japanese Festival and remembering all the smiling faces in the crowd, I think we can mark the return of our in-person festival a success. Calgary is known around the country for its high volunteerism and it’s one of the things that makes our city such a great place to live. Our Omatsuri volunteers are no exception and without them there would be no festival. Thank you everyone who volunteered, thank you to all our sponsors and vendors, and thank you everyone who came out and visited the festival. We humbly look forward to working with and seeing everyone next August for the 2023 Calgary Japanese Festival Omatsuri.
Taken from the CJCA November 2022 Newsletter
– Written by Ken Richardson, Event Chairperson
If you were unable to join us for Omatsuri 2022 or would like to see the day through the eyes of our videographer and photographers – please check out the following link to the photo gallery and/or watch the video to see some of the highlights of this year’s event.
2022 Omatsuri Photo Gallery
** Photos courtesy of Pat and Paul Jette