2026 Grand Opening Doubleheader Tickets
October 17, 2026 @ 9:30AM — 5:30PM Pacific Time (US & Canada) Add to Calendar
Manzanar National Historic Site: 5001 Highway 395 Independence, CA 93526 Get Directions
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Manzanar Baseball Project's Grand Opening Doubleheader
The Manzanar Baseball Project is a compelling sport-meets-art initiative produced by Great Leap and spearheaded by its Artistic Director Dan Kwong. It is dedicated to preserving the legacy of baseball at Manzanar, one of the ten major concentration camps where innocent Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII. Through its doubleheader event on Manzanar's restored field, Great Leap recognizes the powerful role of baseball as an expression of community spirit, a symbol of resilience, and a way of reclaiming American identity for incarcerated Japanese Americans.
Manzanar Baseball Project: 2026 Grand Opening Doubleheader
Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Manzanar National Historic Site
5001 Highway 395, Independence, CA 93526
Join Great Leap for a historic day on Manzanar's restored baseball field: opening ceremonies followed by a doubleheader honoring the Japanese Americans who kept the game alive behind barbed wire.
About Manzanar
Manzanar was the first of ten major camps built in early 1942 to incarcerate Japanese Americans during WWII. Located in the Owens Valley, 225 miles north of Los Angeles, it held more than 10,000 people. Across all ten camps, over 120,000 people, most of them American citizens, were imprisoned without due process of law in the largest mass incarceration in United States history.
Incarceration devastated Japanese American communities, but one part of pre-war life endured: baseball. The National Pastime took on powerful symbolic meaning, and the diamond became a sacred space for a quintessentially American ritual.
About the Games
Under the creative leadership of Project Director Dan Kwong, the Manzanar Baseball Project stages historically inspired exhibition games on the restored field, with vintage equipment and custom 1940s uniforms. These games are not reenactments. They are immersive, site-specific performances that honor a legacy of endurance and cultural pride. Guests are encouraged to wear period clothing, if possible, to enhance the immersive experience.
Schedule
- 9:45 PERFORMANCE: Makoto Taiko
- 10:00 GAME 1: FLORIN ATHLETIC CLUB vs. LI’L TOKIO GIANTS (7 innings)
- 1:15 OPENING CEREMONIES:
- Call To The Field: Makoto Taiko
- Indigenous Blessing: Glenn Nelson, Bishop Paiute Tribe
- Great Leap Welcome: Dan Kwong, Co-Artistic Director
- Congressional Recognition: Office of Senator Adam Schiff
- Keynote: Ann Burroughs, CEO, Japanese American National Museum
- Ceremonial First Pitches:
- Alisa Broch, Jeff Burton, Dave Goto
- Guest of Honor: Jim Morita, 1943 Manzanar star player, joined by Camp Survivors Bob Matsumoto & Hiroshi Jack Takeshita
- Presentation of All-Star Teams
- Performance: “Ghosts Among Us” by Dan Kwong with Chie Saito, performed by Emily Kaori Gruhn, Grace Jenkins, Ryan Torii, Pauline Yasuda, Kuni Yoshida. “Gaman,” written and sung by Nobuko Miyamoto
- National Anthem: Emily Kaori Gruhn
- 2:00 GAME 2: NORTH vs. SOUTH ALL-STARS
- 5:30 EVENT ENDS
Tickets
Admission is free, but you must register for a seat.
Plan Your Visit
- Manzanar is about four hours by car from Los Angeles on Highway 395.
- This is an outdoor, high-desert site. Bring water, sun protection, layers for wind or cold.
- Cell service on site may be limited, so download directions before you go.
- Parking, restrooms, food availability, and accessibility info will be sent out in a "Know Before You Go" email to registered attendees the week leading up to the games.
Can't make the trip?
The opening ceremonies and both games will be livestreamed. We'll share the link soon.
Support the Project
Your donation helps Great Leap produce this historic event. Give to General Production in any amount, or make a Guest Seat Donation ($15–50 sliding scale; no one turned away).
Learn More
Photos and updates: mzbbp.org · greatleap.org/manzanar-baseball · Instagram @manzanar_baseball_project