From 2015 through 2021, Arts Council Tokyo rolled out an array of cultural programs under the umbrella name of Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL, with the aim of creating a sense of excitement from a cultural perspective in the Olympic and Paralympic host city Tokyo, and of promoting Tokyo’s appeal as a city of artistic and cultural attractions.
FY2015 saw the start of Tokyo Caravan, a project conceived by playwright/director/actor Hideki Noda, and TURN, a project supervised by artist Katsuhiko Hibino, the leading initiatives of the Cultural Program for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In FY2016, besides Tokyo Caravan and TURN, the Traditional Performing Arts Program TOHOKU&TOKYO in RIO has been held as an on-the-ground initiative for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Tokyo Cultural Program Grant Program: Support for Projects to Foster Momentum has been also initiated, in which projects from the private sector were solicited to participate in the Tokyo Cultural Program and foster momentum for the Olympics and Paralympics. In fall the Tokyo 2020 Cultural Olympiad Kickoff Event was jointly hosted with the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) and other organizations, and TOKYO SHINTORA MATSURI promoting the culture of Tohoku was held as part of the “Recovery Olympics” initiative.
In FY2017, public call for proposals for innovative and creative projects were held, as well as programs in which large numbers of people could participate. During the 28-day open call for participants, 2,436 applications were received from Japan and overseas, and 13 projects were selected. Organizers of these 13 projects, collectively called “Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13,” then began preparations for 2020, when the Olympics and Paralympics was due to be held. In other developments, TOPACO (Tomin Performer’s Corner) was launched in collaboration with private sector companies etc. to create opportunities for the people of Tokyo to present their artistic and cultural activities to a wider audience. Three new categories were added to the Tokyo Cultural Program Grant Program (renamed Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Grant Program in 2018): Support for Citizen-led Cultural Activities, Support for Overseas Artistic Creation in Tokyo, and Support for Projects Offering Visions for the Future.
The Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Promotional Branding Project was launched in FY2018 in order to conduct effective promotion and branding of Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL, and widely disseminate the appeal of arts and culture.
In FY2019, part of the DANCE TRUCK TOKYO program and the Light and Sound Installation “Coded Field” were implemented in advance from among the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13. Additionally, Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Grant Program: Regional Cultural Activities was launched in collaboration with municipalities within Metropolitan Tokyo.
In FY2020, the worldwide spread of coronavirus led to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics being postponed, and as a result the Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL period was likewise extended by one year.
FY2021 saw the culmination of Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL, with programs rolled out until September under thorough coronavirus preventive measures.
At Arts Council Tokyo, we developed these programs to create opportunities for more citizens to participate in cultural programs, and to further promote Tokyo’s appeal as a city of artistic and cultural attractions both in Japan and overseas. The rollout of Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL ends in FY2021, but we continue to develop a variety of programs going forward which allow us to contribute to the enhancement of Tokyo’s appeal using the power of arts and culture.
Arts Council Tokyo Program Introduction