Bunka Hashi Festival

Bunka Hashi Festival

September 27, 2025
Agri-Food Hub and Trade Center
101 Exhibition Wy S, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4R3
Cost for entry $5. 18 and under free.
Tickets purchased at the door

About us

The Bunka Hashi Festival is back for 2025

The Bunka Hashi Festival is an all inclusive multi-fandom convention that is a mix of contemporary/pop Asian and traditional Japanese Canadian culture. There is a little bit of everything and you are sure to find something new and interesting. 

Schedule of events

Our current schedule of events is now up!

StartFinishTitle
10:00 AM10:10 AMDoors open
Salon A
10:45 AM11:15 AMCosplay Panel: Handmade Cosplay for Beginners
11:15 AM11:45 AMCosplay Panel: Finishing Props
11:45 AM12:30 PMPanel: CHICHI KIMONO Kimono Dressing Demonstration
12:30 PM12:50 PMNCS Taiko Drummers
12:50 PM1:10 PMNCS Minyo Dancers
1:10 PM1:55 PMCosplay/skit contest
1:55 PM2:25 PMFallcon Presents: Wheel of anime
2:25 PM2:55 PMLethbridge Shotokan Karate Demonstration
2:55 PM3:40 PMHeavy Armored Combat Sports: Company of the Black Spears
3:40 PM4:30 PMDiscussion Panel: Transformers Origins
4:30 PM5:00 PMYosakoi Dance Performances
Classroom 1
10:30 AM11:00 AMWorkshop: Sashiko Japanese Stitching
11:00 AM12:00 PMWorkshop: Make Your Own Mini-doujinshi
12:00pm12:30pmWorkshop: Introduction to Ikebana
Salon B
10:00 AM6:00 PMVendors, Exhibitors, Artist Alley, Gunpla Hanger
Salon C
10:00 AM6:00 PMOverdrive: Free Gaming
10:00 AM6:00 PMFallcon: Table-top Free Gaming
11:00 AMOverdrive: Guilty Gear Strive
12:30 PMOverdrive: Street Fighter 6
2:00 PMOverdrive: Tekken 8

Floorplan

Exhibitors

Our exhibitor area features many local artists and vendors
2025 will be our largest exhibitor area ever!

ExhibitorTable
  
Desert Turtle ArmoryE01
The Art of LoveE02
AKB PoPE04
Brown Hams CreationsE05
Kazumi StudioE06
Lethbridge Public LibraryE07
Stark DiceE08
Dual Brush StudiosE09
FELLSTARDUSTE10
DrawberryE11
RenTsukiE12
Dawn Lilac CraftsE13
Kila Kreations E14
Wood and ColeE15
Cryleigh artE16
BuishootsE17
The Shy ShibaE18
LethfuridgeE19
AnimethonE20
Hero&Violet:CCRE21
Meadow Sage StudioE22
BlueDipped DesignsE23
OtafestE24
Lauren KurmeyE25
Nikkei Memory Capture Project  E26
National Association of Japanese CanadiansE27
Nature’s Beauty by YukiE28
Kyuubi CareE29
Nikka Yuko Japanese GardenE30
Galt Museum & ArchivesE31
Nona Knits and CrochetE32

StarkDice is a Lethbridge based artisan dice maker. Thanks @starkdice for joining us!
Lauren is a local illustrator who brings characters from a variety of anime and video games, old and new, to life through her vibrant and dynamic art prints, bookmarks, stickers, and more! She also offers custom commissions specializing in stylized portraits, MMD characters/OC’s, pet portraits, or anything else you can dream of!
Kyuubicare makes handmade artisan soap and other bath/body goodies inspired by pop culture and cute things!

Workshops and Panels

We will holding hands-on workshop activities and panels on a range of topics.
Come join us as we look at different methods and materials to help finish up props for cosplay. We will cover prepping your prop, shaping, textures, painting, and finishing details. We will cover a variety of tools and materials you can use to spark your imagination with your own props.
Chichi Kimono, based in Calgary, offers kimono classes, dressing services, and professional photo sessions. We also sell vintage kimonos, new yukata, and kimono accessories, with sizes available for everyone from babies to adults. We love sharing the beauty of traditional Japanese clothing and making every experience fun and memorable.
Cosplay panel announcement: Panel Title: Handmade Cosplays for Beginners Ria, also known by her online handle kitchenlich, is an award-winning southern Alberta cosplayer who has been handmaking cosplays for over ten years. She is passionate about the art of cosplay as both a tool of self-expression and a medium for self-improvement. She also enjoys TTRPGs, video games, and cross-stitching. Ready to start making your own cosplays from scratch? Learning to make handmade cosplays can be intimidating, as many costumes require several different skillsets, such as sewing, painting, and EVA foamsmithing. This panel will walk you through the step by step process of planning and creating your first handmade cosplay, from gathering references to applying the finishing touches. In a world where cosplayers face increasing pressure to center content creation over hobbyism, this panel seeks to emphasize the joy of the journey and slow creative process.
Create your own Mini-doujinshi! Join us for a workshop where you create a mini-doujinshi from one sheet of paper in less than an hour! No art experience required, and materials are provided.

Cosplay events

We have cosplay panels we will be holding. If you are new to cosplay or a seasoned vet there will be something new to learn.

Performances

We are pleased to showcase performances from taiko drumming to traditional and contemporary dancing
We also will feature demonstrations from local groups.
Taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. The NCS Taiko Drummers have been drumming for more than 10 years. Most of the songs they perform are based on traditional pieces from various regions in Japan. They practice all year except August. Special beginner classes are held, usually in September and January.
Yosoca is a community of dancers from CJCA, supported by cultural group Kaede. They dance a Japanese traditional dance called Yosakoi Soran, which gained popularity in the last 30 years, and is performed at many festival in Japan. Yosoca dancers are as young as 5 years old and is open to any age. Please enjoy their performance!
The Company of the Black Spears is the Lethbridge chapter of the Heavy Armored Combat Sports Association (HACSA). They train in Historical European martial arts (HEMA) recreationally and competitively in preparation for local, national and international tourneys.
Shotokan is a dynamic, anaerobic style of karate featuring long, deep stances and movements in full extension. The style was named after the first official dojo built in Okinawa by its founder, Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo in 1936. Our dojo's presentation will feature both kids and adults demonstrating karate fundamentals (kihon), forms (kata), and basic sparring interactions (kumite). We will illustrate how Shotokan practitioners at all levels and ages exercise focus and discipline while learning body awareness, efficient movement through biomechanics, and management of timing and distance.
Minyo_dancers

Video and Tabletop Gaming

Our friends from Fallcon will be returning once again to run a tabletop gaming area.

We are also pleased to announce that Overdrive Gaming will be joining us this year.

Our friends from FallCon will be running a gaming area and hosting Wheel of Anime on our mainstage. FallCon is an annual three day Board Game and Miniature Convention in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. FallCon is a non-profit organization, run entirely by volunteers, united in their passion for tabletop gaming & miniatures.
The Lethridge Gunpla Club Returns to Bunka Hashi! This time levelled up with a build area and kits available for you to experience the plastic model kit phenomenon that is growing worldwide! We meet twice a month for build nights and to socialize with other builders. For those who haven’t had the chance to try it out stop by our build area to learn all about plastic model kits, the build process and the satisfying snap those plastic parts can make when they snap together just right. Gundam not totally your thing? All builders of any plastic model kit are welcome to come build with us! We have builders that build Pokemon, Digimon, One Piece, Zoids, 30 Minute Missions/Sisters/Fantasies, Kotobukiya, Frame Arm Girls, Even Lego and Car Kits! If its a plastic Model Kit you are welcome to join us. Even if you aren’t building you can just come by to enjoy the hobby and fandom. We will have kits and tools available in the build area we just need you!

Join our fun events!