The Japan-America Society and Black Ships Festival of Rhode Island will host the 39th annual Black Ships Festival this Friday to Sunday, June 10 to 12. The opening ceremonies begin the weekend’s festivities at Rockwell Park in Bristol at 10 a.m. on Friday. The colorful ceremony commemorates Rhode Island’s native son, Commodore Mathew C. Perry, and the signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa, which opened trade between Japan and the United States. Dignitaries will give speeches, with colors presented by the Bristol Police Department.

One of the highlights of the festival takes place Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at Rockwell Park in Bristol, with a free event, the Taiko Drum Performance. Odaiko New England and their electrifying drums will perform in the park.

During the weekend visitors will have a unique opportunity to set sail aboard a tall ship, the 101-foot Schooner Aurora, for the Sushi Sake Sail I & II. The ship departs from Goat Island Marina in Newport at 12 p.m. on Friday, June 10, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 12.

On June 11, the action moves to Independence Park on Thames Street in Bristol. From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., there will be an Arts and Crafts and Martial Arts Fair. Bristol Garden Club will be featuring Ikebana and Kokedama. There will be martial arts demonstrations and vendor booths. Another highlight will be a Kendama demonstration and competition with prizes. Japanese language students of Classical High School will join the festivities, making origami, calligraphy, Japanese arts and crafts, and traditional Kimono dressing.

Taiko Drumming Performances will display powerful sounds using martial arts techniques. The Japanese Consulate will be featuring Japanese games, and celebrate the summer holiday of Tanabata. Guests will have an enhanced Japanese cultural experience all afternoon as Independence Park is transformed into a Japanese-American Cultural Center. 

The evening of Saturday, June 11, offers a fusion of both Japanese and American culture at the Black Ships Festival Gala, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event at Ochre Court in Newport will include a Taiko drumming performance, dancing, an open bar, sushi and an elegant sit-down dinner.

The festivals concludes with Memorial Ceremonies, at 9 a.m. on Sunday at Island Cemetery on Farewell Street in Newport, with a Wreath Ceremony at Perry’s tomb by American and Japanese dignitaries. For more information, visit www.BlackShipsFestival.com.