Mini Event Report: The Witches Festival

Hello everyone!
It has been a while since I have done a mini post. I decided to do this mini post about an event that was not only a new experience for me, but it brought back a lot of fond and scary memories for me. Today, I am going to be talking about Ishioka's Witches' Festival.

The Witches' Festival

A few weeks before this event, my wife let me know that Ishioka was going to be having a witch festival. I had no idea what that meant, but I was excited to find out. What blew my mind was that my wife told me it would be on the grounds where the old Ariake Junior High School once stood. Once she said that, I had to go check out this festival.
On a sunny day on April 29th, the Ibaraki Eats Duo drove to the old Ariake Junior High School grounds and checked out the Witches' Festival.
Not many people know this about me, but Ariake JHS was one of the first schools I worked at when I arrived in Japan 15 years ago. Walking around the festival and looking at the old Ariake gym, which is still standing, brought back a lot of fond memories—and some scary ones, too. This is the place where I experienced the 2011 earthquake. I will never forget that day, and I am thankful nothing happened to the students, staff, or me.
It was surreal being back at Ariake. It was also surprising how big and fun the Witches' Festival was. I honestly thought that the festival was going to be a kids' magic show. But this festival had awesome live music, a lot of vintage clothing and items stalls, awesome food tents and trucks, and just an overall relaxing and fun vibe to it. I loved checking out the local farmer's stall area, the wood craftsmen area, and even the crystals and witches stalls.

Live Music

My wife and I walked around the festival and then headed to the live music stage outside. The stage was a wooden stage under a huge tree, which I thought was witchy and hippy like. We both listened to some very chill and relaxing music while everyone was walking around enjoying the festival. As the music was playing, I decided to check out the food stalls around me.
Nomads Burger was there, but unfortunately, he was sold out of burgers. Arthur Meshi was cooking up some delicious jerk chicken, which we both enjoyed. We also got to try a new vendor that made amazing lemonade from honey made in Ibaraki.
The music was playing, the sun was out, and everything about this festival was awesome.

Coffee Time

Another of my favorite food trucks, well, not a food truck but a coffee truck, that was at the Witches' Festival was Coffee Bar Stove. My wife decided to get a massage from one of the chiropractic tents, so I had ten minutes on my own. I met the owner of Coffee Bar Stove, asked for an espresso, and just chilled at the open bar area of the coffee van. We talked for a little while and enjoyed the music from the live show. After ten minutes, my wife came back, and it was time to go. The Witches' Festival did go on until nighttime, but that was a separate live concert, and you had to buy a ticket to be at the nighttime event. We decided we wanted to head back, but maybe next year we will check out the night concert.

The Witches' Festival was a fun and interesting event. It did feel magical, and the music was great. Plus, the location brought back a lot of memories, which was the conversation for our drive home. I hope the Ibaraki Eats Duo can attend next year, and I hope you can too.

For more information on the Witches' Festival, check out their Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/majonofesta/?hl=en