Photo by MARIO GERSHOM REYES / Rafu Shimpo
Religious services are held in the camp cemetery.

Bus transportation available from Downtown L.A. and Gardena

The Manzanar Committee has announced that the 56th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, at the Manzanar National Historic Site.

The theme of the 2025 pilgrimage is “Truth, Justice, and Democracy.”

The 2025 Manzanar At Dusk program will be held following the pilgrimage.

Bus transportation to the pilgrim-age will be available from Downtown Los Angeles and Gardena.

Manzanar was the first of the ten American concentration camps in which more than 125,000 Japanese Americans and their immigrant parents were unjustly incarcerated during World War II.

People from all walks of life attend the pilgrimage each year, including students, teachers, community members, clergy and former incarcerees. Planning is under way for this year’s program. The pilgrim-age is free and open to the public. No registration or reservations are required to attend.

For the daytime pilgrimage pro-gram, cultural performances will begin at 11:30 a.m. while the main portion of the program begins at 12 p.m. and runs until around 2 p.m.

Bus transportation is available from Little Tokyo and Gardena. Buses will also take participants to the Visitor Center at the Manzanar National Historic Site following the afternoon program and will return to Southern California that evening. Anyone wishing to attend Manzanar At Dusk that evening should make other transportation arrangements.

Reservations for bus transportation will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Complimentary fares are available for those who were incarcerated at any of the former American concentration camps or other confinement sites during World War II.

To reserve seats on the Little Tokyo bus, fill out the form at: https://forms.gle/trwh2evCijytggLv6

To reserve seats on the Gardena bus, fill out the form at: https://gvjci.wufoo.com/forms/qjhlap81lonaup/

The Manzanar At Dusk program will follow the afternoon program, at 5 p.m.; location to be announced.

Now in its 27th year, Manzanar At Dusk is co-sponsored by the Nikkei Student Unions at California Polytechnic University Pomona, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, UCLA, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego.

Every year the pilgrimage is made possible thanks to the generosity of many volunteers. Those interested in volunteering are invited to fill out this volunteer interest form: https://forms.gle/U5tvJvhioFeWGcXw8

Further details about the after-noon and evening programs will be announced at a later date.

For more information, call (323) 662-5102 or email [email protected].