22nd annual CelebrAsian festival takes over downtown Des Moines
DES MOINES, Iowa — Hundreds are making their way to downtown Des Moines for the 22nd annual CelebrAsian festival.
The two-day festival kicked off on Friday and showcases Asian culture through food, music, dance, crafts, and more. On Saturday, the festival goes from 11 a.m. through 10 p.m. near Wester Gateway Park.
As a result of the festival, some roads downtown will be closed. The closures are mainly focused between Grand Avenue and Walnut Street, from as far east as 10th Street to as far west as 14th street.
Organizer Jade Cal told WHO 13 News that 15 different villages are being represented this year. Villages include different countries or ethnic groups, like Indonesian, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and so many others. She also said there are over 80 vendors this year, and 55 of them are food vendors.
'We want everyone to be immersed in the villages culture as well as their cultural backgrounds. We want you to explore all of their food options as well as getting to know a little bit more about their culture,' said Cal.
One of the vendors is the Japan America Society of Iowa, or JASI. Yoko Tanaka, the Executive Director, showed WHO 13 News the Japanese drinks and snacks that they were selling to visitors this year including Pocky and Ramune.
However, their biggest attraction is a Japanese puppet show.
This year is the 65th anniversary of Iowa's sister-state relationship with Yamanashi, Japan. This is also the longest-running sister-state relationship in the state of Iowa. In celebration of the relationship, JASI organized two projects. The first is an origami crane project where over 1,000 origami cranes will be displayed at the Iowa State Fair this year, and the other is a puppet show in Des Moines.
The Sasago Oiwake Puppet Theater came to Iowa all the way from Yamanashi. According to Tanaka, this is their first time performing outside of Japan. They will perform at the Des Moines Community Playhouse on Sunday, May 25th at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for general admission or $10 for students.
Tanaka said this show is interesting for Iowans because western puppets are nothing like Japanese puppets. That's because in this performance, three puppeteers control just one puppet. This allows the doll to look realistic by making more expressive facial expressions.
The puppets and the puppeteers came out to CelebrAsian on Friday, and they gained the interest of many Iowans. Several were impressed with how realistic they looked and the teamwork that went into moving just one puppet.
Tanaka said she hopes to bring the puppets back on display at CelebrAsian on Saturday, but that will depend on the weather. The puppets are over 100 years old and are made of wood, so rain can be detrimental to their condition.
For more information on the Sasago Oiwake Puppet Theater performance, click here.
The festival's theme this year is Celebrasian in Full Bloom. Flowers representing the different ethnic groups can be seen around the villages.
This theme is a nod to the 50th year of the Southeast Asian resettlement in Iowa.
'A lot of the communities here would not be here without the resettlement,' said organizer Lisa Thai. 'My dad was a Vietnamese refugee who came over here in the 80s. I wouldn't be here in Iowa if it wasn't for him and the resettlement.'
There will also be cultural dances, music, and performances throughout the day.
The festival goes from 11 a.m. through 10 p.m. near Wester Gateway Park in Des Moines. For more information on CelebrAsian, click here.
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