Sat 5/18-Sun 5/19
Cleveland’s AsiaTown has come a long way since it was called “Chinatown” and consisted of a couple of restaurants on one block of Rockwell Avenue. Now it covers a sprawling area to the east of downtown where Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and many other Asian cultures have staked their claims, as northeast Ohio’s population has diversified.
The annual two-day Cleveland Asian Festival, Cleveland’s first big summer festival of the year, is the ideal time to get a taste of those cultures: their food, art, music, dance, martial arts and more. Two stages will feature continuous entertainment ranging from Indian classical dance to K-Pop, acrobats and drum teams to Hawaiian/Polynesian performance — even a classic rock and country duo from Thailand! The big crowd-pleaser, closing both days on the bigger stage, is the Asian-Pop dance competition (Saturday) and showcase performances (Sunday) where ensembles of dancers from around the region — mostly talented teens — perform to hits by Asian pop groups.
Of course, there’s food, with a sprawling food court offering tastes of a dozen cultures. Plan and be patient though — it gets crowded! The world marketplace features booths offering a wide variety of handcrafted arts as well as products of various Asian cultures, as well as information booths from numerous area social service organizations, government offices, and arts and culture groups, many with hands-on activities.
Admission is free.
2999 Payne Ave, Cleveland, OH 44114