Asian Culture Festival
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Experience the tastes, sounds and colors of Asia without going there. The 34th annual Asian Culture Festival, presented by the Thai American Association of Florida and the Miami-Dade County Asian-American Advisory Board, will return to Tropical Park in Westchester March 1-2. Enjoy exciting performances, from traditional Asian music to modern K-pop dance and martial arts, and view collections of Asian art, antiques, calligraphy and crafts. There will also be a variety of Asian cuisine – authentic dishes from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Laos, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam – fruit and vegetable carving and more.
Performances
Saturday
The festival’s first day will be jam-packed with vibrant performances, including traditional dancing from Thailand, Philippines (tinikling, considered the national dance of the Philippines), India (Bollywood dancing), Middle East (belly dancing) and Vietnam (lion dancing, in which dancers wear large costumes of intricately decorated lions; it combines dancing with theater, signifying blessings and the elimination of bad spirits for the new year).
You’ll learn the differences between a variety of Asian martial arts. Wai kru, for example, is a traditional Muay Thai ritual that shows respect to teachers, ancestors and deities. Kenbu is a Japanese sword ceremony that was performed by samurai during ancient times, but you’ll be able to witness it live at the festival.
The sounds of Japanese taiko on massive drums, performed by Fusho Daiko (a drumming ensemble and Taiko dojo), will be prevalent throughout the festival.
Sunday
Taiko drumming will continue, and there’ll be more musical performances, including Eisa (a folk dance from Okinawa, Japan); the Japanese Bon dance, honoring the spirit of ancestors; the Bangladesh national classical dance, and the Chinese lion dance (this time performed by practitioners of Chinese kung fu).
Florida International University’s all-girl K-pop group Lynx, along with the all-girl groups Ignite and Locked from the University of Miami, will present high-energy synchronized dance performances combining hip-hop, jazz, street dance and traditional Korean moves.
A performance by Kru Chang, named the National Artist of Thailand in 2019, will combine music played on traditional Thai instruments with martial arts.
In addition, Poppy Boonyisa Chantrarachai, third runner-up for Miss Universe Thailand 2024, the ambassador of Thailand and other dignitaries will be on-hand to take photos with festivalgoers.
Check out the full list of performances for this year’s Asian Culture Festival.
Food and Arts & Crafts
Festivalgoers can enjoy a food court with more than 20 food trucks representing many Asian countries. Dot’s Thai Food in Homestead is known for its Thai-style pad Thai, fried rice and noodle soups. Lutong Pinoy Filipino Cuisine in North Miami Beach serves up Pinoy whole fried chicken and Filipino barbeque. There’ll also be Vietnamese and Haitian fusion from Luus Rolls 4 U; Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisine and homemade Indian and Pakistani sweets; authentic Japanese yakitori, bento and yakisoba from Sushi Ko; Japanese noodle soup and bao buns, Asian pork tacos, specialty drinks and more.
More than 100 vendors will sell arts and crafts at stands representing different Asian countries, including Japanese hair accessories, kawaii-style jewelry and pins, anything you need to fill your daily life with anime (such as handmade mugs, ceramic coasters, pillowcases and stickers), lush Thai foliage and greenery, and traditional temporary henna tattoos.
Ticket & Parking Information
One-day tickets for adults are $15; two-day tickets are $20. One-day tickets for children 6-12 years old are $5; two-day tickets are $7. Children under six get in for free. Tickets for the Kids Zone are $10 online and $12 at the event. Upon entry, children will receive a passport that they can get stamped at each represented country they visit. The Kids Zone will include a bouncy house, face painting, traditional games from each country, and arts and crafts, such as origami (paper folding) from Japan.
Reserved parking, which can be bought online, is $10.