Asian Food Fest, a celebration of Asian cuisine, culture and entertainment, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year downtown Cincinnati Saturday, Oct. 9, and Sunday, Oct. 10. With Kroger and P&G as presenting sponsors, the festival will relocate to a new location on East Court Street, between Vine and Walnut, along the new Court Street Plaza in the Central Business District. The area has a pedestrian-friendly layout with widened sidewalks. The event is free to attend and is open to the public. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Food prices range from $2 to $6 per item. Soft drinks, water, boba teas, craft and local beers as well as Asian beers, wine and sake will also be available. The festival was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic
“Asian Food Fest was launched in 2010, and it started as a passion project for a group of friends, who identified that we have an Italianfest and Oktoberfest, but there was nothing to represent Asian heritage. So instead of sitting around talking about it, we wanted to do something about it,” says Lam Dang of the Asian American Cultural Association of Cincinnati.
With Kroger and P&G as presenting sponsors, the festival will relocate to a new location on East Court Street, between Vine and Walnut, along the new Court Street Plaza in the Central Business District. The area has a pedestrian-friendly layout with widened sidewalks. The festival was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“After a really rough year-and-a-half, we thought it was important to bring the community back together, and show our strength as an Asian community, and as a strong community as a whole in Cincinnati,” says Dang.
Originating in Kolping Park, drawing 1,000 to 2,000 attendees in the first year with four vendors, the festival has grown to one of the largest in Greater Cincinnati, with up to about 70,000 attendees each year.
“Within the region, we are seeing a large growth in our Asian population as well. So, I think being able to have a place for people to celebrate and recognize the people in our community is a good thing,” says Brad Mason, marketing manager at Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.
He says the festival has established itself as a unique experience for everybody to celebrate Asian food, culture and entertainment.
“A 10th anniversary of any annual event like this is a strong milestone, and the fact that we continually see the festival grow every year makes it an even stronger asset to our region and a celebration of the people in our community,” Mason says.
Produced by Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and Asian American Cultural Association of Cincinnati, Asian Food Fest honors the cuisine and culture of Asian countries including Hawaii, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Taiwan.
“We have more than 25 vendors this year. The Food vendors represent more than 11 countries in Asia, so everybody will find something they love. We’ll have Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian and even Nepalese food, which is rare. So, we try to represent all of Asia, and I think we’ve accomplished it this year,” says Dang.
Over the course of two days, the festival will also highlight Asian American talent with a variety of acts. Demie Cao and Korean pop star Justin Park will perform on Saturday, beginning at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Sun Satica and Jules Aurora, a Filipino singer/songwriter and actress, will perform starting at 3 p.m.
From Filipino and Chinese dances to Japanese Taiko drums, the festival features a variety of cultural entertainment, including the Bing Yang Cultural Chinese Dancers, who will perform on both days. The Dancing Kimonas representing the Filipino Association of Southern Ohio will perform traditional Filipino dances on Saturday at 1 p.m. On Sunday, audiences will enjoy Chinese QiPao Dance featuring traditional Chinese folk dances at 2 p.m. See the schedule for a complete line-up of performances.
A portion of the proceeds from Asian Food Fest will benefit the Asian American Cultural Association of Cincinnati, which uses cultural events to promote unity and diversity throughout the region. For more event details, go to www.asianfoodfest.org or check out the festival information on Facebook and Instagram.
