NW26 | Nisei Week 2026 Grand Parade | Parade songs and dances “Yosakoi Matsuri Uta” and “Ichibyo” led by Official Choreographer Bando Hidesomi | Little Tokyo | August 16, 2026
This year’s featured parade song Aya Shimazu’s Yosakoi Matsuri Uta and SixTONES’s Ichibyo were selected and choreographed by Bando Hidesomi, profession nihon buyo performer and instructor of Bando School.
As part of its first weekend of the 84th Nisei Week events, the historic Nisei Week Japanese Festival Grand Parade took place in the evening of Sunday, August 16, 2026 in Little Tokyo.
The parade was led by the 2026 Grand Marshal, U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, and 2026 Parade Marshal acclaimed mural artist Robert Vargas. The parade procession started at Central Avenue and head west on 2nd Street, turning north on San Pedro Street, turning east on 1st Street, then turning south and ending on Central Avenue.
The Nisei Week Grand Parade featured traditional Japanese taiko drum performers, local community groups, elected officials and representatives, and the newly crowned 2026 Nisei Week queen and court.