Update: This event is cancelled. Please see this link for more information: https://www.cocoyoko.net/event/perry-fes.html
U.S. 7th Fleet Band is scheduled to perform at the 2025 Kurihama Perry Festival Saturday, Aug. 2.
The Kurihama Perry Festival, hosted by the City of Yokosuka, honors Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s historic 1853 landing in Japan and celebrates the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan that followed.
More than 80,000 visitors are expected to visit Yokosuka’s Kurihama district this weekend.
Perry arrived at Uraga Bay off Kurihama in July 1853. Backed by a fleet of four coal-powered “Black Ships,” Perry’s expedition pressed Japan to open to foreign trade, effectively ending over two centuries of national isolation and ushering in the country’s modern era. It also marked the beginning of formal U.S.-Japan relations leading to the Treaty of Kanagawa signed in 1854. Today, a stone monument in modern-day Perry Park commemorates the beach where Perry came ashore.
The day-long festival includes the Commodore Perry Landing Memorial Ceremony, the Kurihama Parade from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Kaikoku Bazaar, live music including the 7th Fleet Band’s Shonan Brass Quintent slated to take the stage from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., kitchen cars, and a fireworks show scheduled to start around 7:30 p.m.
The Kurihama Perry Festival takes place in and around Perry Park and the Kurihama Shopping District of southeastern Yokosuka. Festival hours typically run from around 10:00 a.m. until the fireworks conclude at 8:00 p.m.
Event organizers caution that many streets and parking lots in the area are expected to convert to pedestrian and vendor-only use. Staff encourage using public transportation, bringing sunscreen, and drinking plenty of water.
The two closest train stations are Keikyu Kurihama Station and JR Kurihama Station. Both will place visitors within a 15-minute walking distance to much of the festival area.
For more information on the 2025 Kurihama Perry Festival, please visit https://www.cocoyoko.net/event/perry-fes.html or download the schedule of events here: 2025 Kurihama Perry Festival Schedule of Events (please note, the schedule is in Japanese).
For more information on the U.S. 7th Fleet Band, please visit their official website here: https://www.c7f.navy.mil/band/welcome/.
