Downtown Is Hosting the Asian-Pacific Festival

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Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival

The three-day Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival is around the corner.

The free festival is a celebration of Asian and Pacific culture, and it is set for June 14-16 at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids.

Throughout the weekend, there will be 13 food vendors serving Korean, Vietnamese, Indian and Chinese foods.

The festival will feature origami and martial arts classes, interactive Haka and Filipino nipa hut workshops, and Indian, Okinawan and Bangladeshi performers.

“We hope to inspire, educate and celebrate our Asian roots, while providing a fun and engaging experience for the whole family,” said Ace Marasigan, founder and CEO, Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival.

The first day will begin at 11 a.m. with a 2,000-year-old traditional Japanese-style taiko drumming performance by members of Michigan Hiryu Daiko. There will be music, art and dance events, which will culminate with a performance by R&B-soul artist ROZEN at 9:25 p.m. and DJ Buck at 9:45 p.m.

The celebration on the second day will begin at 10:55 a.m. with the South Vietnam Republic Color Guards and Vietnamese-American Linda Truong performing the U.S. national anthem. The events throughout the day will include a yoga session, lion dance, interactive tai chi, Japanese sword fighting, Bollywood fusion dance and other musical performances.

The third and final day will begin at 12 p.m. with a yoga session. There will also be a Pokémon ball hunt, Chinese opera, magician Seok-Joo Kwak, a pho eating contest and a lion dance.

At the end of the three-day festival, there will be a grand-prize giveaway of $1,000 from Old National Bank to a local nonprofit.

“The Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival embraces the rich traditions of Asian- and Pacific-Islander Americans and creates opportunities to connect, provide resources and find ways to help each other,” Marasigan said.

Photo: Courtesy Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival.

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