Tricolore Music Festival
On September 25, the 8th Tricolore Music Festival was held in Ishinomaki! It was uncertain whether or not the festival would be held this year because of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, but the local residents’ passion for music and strong desire to work towards recovery and revitalize the local community was the driving force behind this year’s festival.
The title of this festival uses the word “tricolore” meaning tricolor flag. The three colors mean people, the ocean and music, and are used to represent the oceans of the future, heartfelt music and the people all around the world who love both of these things.
This year the scale of the festival was a bit smaller than usual but there were 63 acts comprising a total of 350 performers who performed on 6 stages set up throughout the central shopping arcade, with the main stage located in the exchange plaza in front of the train station.
There was a variety of different acts including folk, rock and jazz performances, people singing and playing the guitar, a capella singing performances and harmonica performances. Many of the performers were locals from Ishinomaki, Onagawa and Higashi-Matsushima but some musicians came from as far as Sendai.
Peace Boat provided special cooperation, assisting with registration, guidance, operations and clean-up of this event. Everyone worked hard with a smile!
It was obvious from this event that a large proportion of the population of Ishinomaki is involved in musical activities. It was a great musical day in Ishinomaki where all the participants enjoyed watching, listening and having fun.