The Hiroshima Sun

On August 6, 2023 at Cavaticcio Park in Bologna, the long-awaited appointment with The Sun of Hiroshima is renewed, a unique floating lanterns ceremony. Born in 2009 from an idea of Nipponica, a festival of Japanese culture, the event aims to commemorate the victims of the atomic explosion that hit the city of Hiroshima precisely on August 6, 1945, during World War II.

Having become a landmark on Bologna's summer agenda, the free admission event is designed around the floating lantern ceremony, tōrōnagashi in Japanese. At dusk, the lanterns, distributed on a voluntary donation-basis, will light up the Cavaticcio for a collective ritual rooted in the tragedy that struck Japan 78 years ago but necessarily looking to the future. 

Since its inception, the event has always had a solidarity angle. This year's edition cannot fail to look to the Romagna region devastated by last May's flooding. Proceeds from the traditional charity collection will be used for the reconstruction of some schools damaged by the disaster.

In addition to the floating lantern ceremony, from 6 p.m. the park will host a children's workshop, a solidarity dinner and a theatrical performance. The full program is available at this link.