Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden

Juno Hata, 6, releases her floating lantern into the Japanese Garden pond during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

People release their floating lanterns into the Japanese Garden pond during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Anna Turner, with the New Mexico Taiko group, performs on the drum during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Andy Toyama, with BK Taiko, holds a koinobori during a procession around the gardens during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Asher Jones, 5, waits to release his floating lantern into the Japanese Garden pond during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

People release their floating lanterns into the Japanese Garden pond during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Kyra Herrera, 6, releases her floating lantern into the Japanese Garden pond during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

People release their floating lanterns into the Japanese Garden pond during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

People release their floating lanterns into the Japanese Garden pond during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Juno Hata, 6, wears her kimono she received while spending the summer in Japan during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the souls of one's ancestors.

Floating lanterns honor loved ones during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration pays tribute to ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Members of the BK Taiko participate in a procession around the gardens during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Megan Craig and Kory Craig attend the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

People pick up their floating lanterns during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Leo Lujan, 8, center, with BK Taiko, participates in a procession around the gardens during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Anna Turner and Masahiro Kamei, with the New Mexico Taiko group, perform during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Andrea Brone includes a photo of her mother, Jeanette Brone, who passed away in 2016, on her floating lantern during the Obon Festival at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug.15, 2025. This traditional Japanese celebration honors ancestral spirits. Obon is a Buddhist custom that commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors.

Chancey Bush

Chancey Bush Chancey Bush Chancey Bush Photographer

Published August 16, 2025 - 11:50 a.m. Modified August 16, 2025 - 11:50 a.m.

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