Sat 5/16 & Sun 5/17 @ 11AM-7PM
The summer festival season kicks off in earnest this weekend when the first really big festival of the summer takes place: the 17th annual Cleveland Asian Festival. It’s two full days of food, music, food, vendors, food, dance, food, community groups and government agencies, food, martial arts demos, food, art, food, games, food, and yes, more food. In the last couple of years, the festival has expanded its food footprint (although it always seems to be crowded), where you can sample offerings from more than a dozen different Asian cultures, provided by nearly three dozen local restaurants and chefs that show how expansive the Asian food scene has become in northeast Ohio.
Once you’ve got your food, you’ll want to find a seat in the big performance tent to watch a nonstop schedule of performers such as the Kwan Family Lion Dance, the Lingyun Rising Star Gymnastics School, the Chinese Women Association music and dance, the Silk Riad Cultural Collective’s traditional armor and Hanfu showcase, the Colors of Asia fashion show, the Sho-Jo-Ji Japanese Dancers, and of course, the lively and engaging Asian pop/K-Pop performances by energetic and enthusiastic ensembles of young performers. There’s even an Eggroll Speed eating Content, sponsored by Li Wah restaurant! Performances reflect Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Filipino, Taiwanese, Polynesian/Tahitian, and Indian cultures.
For a full schedule of performances and a full list of food vendors, go to the Cleveland Asian Festival website.