Food
Free sushi and Japanese refreshments create the first reason to gather, then the tables turn into conversation spaces.
Closed · annual spring festival
Hanami Festival.
A spring gathering for the MIT community with food, tea, games, calligraphy, origami, and Japanese culture booths.
DateMay 9, 2026
VenueWalker Memorial
StatusClosed
AttendanceAbout 350 people
FormatFood + cultural booths
AudienceMIT community
Event report
Rainy weekend, full room.
Hanami Festival 2026 is now closed. Even with weekend rain, the event drew about 350 participants. Sushi sold out in the first 30 minutes, and the shogi, origami, calligraphy, kendama, and other booths stayed lively throughout the evening.
Overview
Cherry-blossom season, indoors at MIT scale.
Hanami is JAM's broadest cultural welcome: easy to enter, volunteer-powered, and built around food, conversation, and hands-on booths.
Culture booths
Matcha, shogi, origami, calligraphy, and other booths give visitors a way to participate instead of only watch.
Volunteers
JAM members organize registration, serving, booths, crowd flow, and cleanup so the event can stay warm and accessible.
Photo credit: Miu Kondo
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