Photo By Sgt. Alex Fairchild | Kyle Harvey, a musical artist and rapper, performs during the Hansen Festival on Camp...... read more read more
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CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – Celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the Hansen Festival, the gates opened once again on Camp Hansen for all U.S. military personnel, U.S. citizens, Status of Forces Agreement personnel, and Japanese citizens to enjoy two days of food, entertainment, and festivities on Feb. 24-25.
From June 11-12, 1994, the Hansen Hoedown Friendship Festival was hosted, the first of its kind on Camp Hansen. It offered two days of nonstop country entertainment featuring RB Stone, a blues artist, athletic competitions, and even a chili cook-off.
In 2024, the Hansen Festival lives on with the same spirit, although a different image. This year featured a food truck fair, carnival style rides, interactive military experience stations for children, live music from various local artist groups, and lastly, the headliner; Kyle Harvey, a rapper and musical artist popularly known as Kyle and SuperDuperKyle.
“The Hansen festival is a unique cultural exchange,” said Alvertis Shears Jr., entertainment and special events program manager of Marine Corps Community Services Okinawa. “Not only is it an opportunity to boost morale in the community, but it’s also a healthy environment where SOFA personnel and Japanese citizens can experience food, music, and festivities together.”
Shears Jr., a native of Texas, explained that hosting and coordinating an event to the scale of the Hansen Festival takes a large amount of coordination, manpower, and a minimum of six months to plan. He said that every bit of preparation is invaluable to construct a successful event and to feature a popular artist to headline the show.
For Kyle Harvey, the headliner of this year’s Hansen Festival, being in Okinawa and surrounded by U.S. service members hit home. During his show, he performed an emotional song in which he connected with the crowd and expressed that his father was a U.S. Marine, who recently passed away.
Harvey’s upbeat yet emotional performance marked the peak of Hansen Festival, a two-day excursion of nonstop music, cuisine, festivities, and most importantly, friendship between SOFA personnel and Japanese citizens.
“These festivals are designed in line with the commander’s intent to strengthen the relationship between our communities,” said Shears Jr. “Music is a universal language, and so is food. Hansen Festival, for 30 years now, has been a great opportunity to provide a space for our communities to positively connect with one another.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2024 20:04 |
| Story ID: | 464666 |
| Location: | CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 155 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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