Who says big (no, huge) dudes can’t move with the equal grace and skill of a cat and ballerina rolled into one? If you’ve ever watched a Sumo match, then you know what I’m talking about.

If you haven’t witnessed the splendor of two semi-nude rikishi warring inside the ring, then you’re missing out. But that need not be the case, especially considering that the Grand Sumo Tournament is returning to Los Angeles on June 7 and 8, 2008 for the first time in 27 years.

During the two-day display of flesh and flighting (and time-honored rituals and symbols associated with Japan’s ancient national sport), the top 40 professional sumo wrestlers in the world will compete for the Sakura Cup at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The weekend kicks off on Friday at the Dodgers vs. Cubs game, where one of the champion Sumos will be throwing the first pitch.

Tickets for the event range from $10 to upwards of $400 for ringside seats and are available via Sumo Tour, but why spend your cash (after all, you’re gonna need it to cover airfare costs this summer) when you can go for free, courtesy of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau and DiscoverLosAngeles?

The first five Kayak blog readers to email Bill Karz with their request will score a pair of tickets to this event. Hit him up at wkarz (at) lainc (dot) com. Thanks to Bill and the LACVB for extending this freebie to our readers.

For more on what to see and do in Los Angeles, visit DiscoverLosAngeles.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 23rd, 2008 at 10:30 am and is filed under Deals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.