Even with no main event, WMDF has large fixed costs every year, like storing a whole warehouse full of event paraphernalia. We couldn’t be more grateful to the sponsors who recognised this and responded to our 2020 funding call. The list of sponsors on our website is just the public face of the support we received: thanks so much for all the private contributions that also flowed in.

While the Corona outlook remains uncertain, we will still be doing what we can to pursue our “Worlds Meet” goals. This is a time for new inspirations and original solutions. We will be doing our part to keep the art alive, with events like “Moat’s Art“. Thanks for your continued support: we wish you all health and fortitude.

Photo credits: EIGHT

Thanks to all for the first two weeks of our original summer event putting artists in rowboats on the moat in Goryokaku Park. What a variety we have already seen, from classical and opera, to folk, flute, guitar, and even costumed theatre!

Today is Aug 5, and we should all be in Motomachi Park celebrating another festival year in style. Still, on this smaller scale on the moat, we will be continuing the “meeting of worlds” tradition under the slogan “Keeping the arts, keeping physical distance”. We run every Sat&Sun before noon, and with the sunset on Wednesdays. It has been great to see all the artists thoroughly enjoying an opportunity to perform again. For schedule and also videos, check out the Moat’s Art site. We hope you stay safe, and maybe find your own floating of the boats this summer…

This will be a summer without global artists performing in Motomachi Park, but it will not be a summer without WMDF creativity!

In one of our many brainstorming sessions about what to do in a Covid World, we came up with the idea of maintaining physical distance by having performers in rowboats on the moat of Hakodate’s fort.

This crazy idea is now in production!

You can see all the details at the Moat’s Art web site.

We teamed up with the good folk from the “Yagai Geki” to kick off the event with an art installation of our “World’s Eye” flags. Thanks to all who turned up to beautify the “stage”.

We will be doing our best to bring a little art spark to these hard times and support the local creative community. Since physical distancing means we can’t have large crowds, we will be making Moat’s Art videos available online… Maybe you can find your own inspiration?