Fiesta Asia Street Fair celebrates Asian culture in the heart of Washington, D.C.
The Fiesta Asia Street Fair is celebrated as the longest running, most inclusive and the largest free Pan-Asian Festival in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area.
'We are so excited to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We always pride ourselves on presenting our festival with authenticity, wholesomeness and accessibility. Never has Washington, D.C. or anywhere else for that matter seen so many heritages represented in the same space — or so many dragons and lions commingling on an open street,' said Wuiping Yap with the Asia Heritage Foundation.
Noticing there weren't a lot of celebratory festivals for the Asian community 20 years ago in the metropolitan area, Yap thought about how many outdoor festivities are held in Asian cultures. She also thought there was a lack of representation and understanding of the Asian heritage. She reached out to friends in her performing arts community to start the grassroots street fair and hold it right in front of the U.S. Capitol on Pennsylvania Avenue. Yap and that core group of founders are still integral to the festival's organization 20 years later.
'A lot of friends and families and different community groups all lent their strength and support to the founding of the event,' she said. 'Our goal has always been and will be to preserve and promote Asian heritage and culture through arts, traditions, cuisine and way of life. We remain relevant even after 20 years because someone must do it — to create and maintain the platform for cultural heritage promotion. Also, our nimble size and like-minded partners make decision-making and creative innovations a breeze.'
expand
What started as one and a half stages, has grown to five stages featuring dance, martial artists, contemporary performances, group performances and Persian artists. More than 1,000 performers are expected at this year's fair.
In addition to the varied heritage programs and activities representing more than 20 cultures, there will be a special parade featuring more than 10 fiery dragons and 20 lions; a karaoke duel on the latest Asian pop songs; a neko cosplay challenge (a cat-like costume play); and many more exciting activities.
'The Fiesta Asia Street Fair is a hallmark event of Passport DC, taking place during International Cultural Awareness Month in Washington, D.C.,' said Angie M. Gates, president and CEO of Events DC. 'This lively festival showcases Asian culture and is part of a series of events this month that celebrate the diverse local, national and international communities in our nation's capital. We invite residents and visitors alike to join us in experiencing this fair and to explore our vibrant global city.'
A brand-new tradition for this year's Fiesta Asia is an inaugural cook-off battle for the public to show off their best ramen, demonstrate their dumpling wrapping skills or sushi rolling talents. Festival organizers will have all the tools and ingredients necessary for festival goers to sign up on the spot. The public also can learn how to do a dragon dance, a unique opportunity for participants.
'Come in as a group or company to adopt a dragon and have an experience,' Yap said. 'Who doesn't want to be able to say, 'I did a dragon dance down Pennsylvania Avenue?''
She added, 'Everyone is welcome to partake as a dragon performer or simply come as a cheering spectator. Do not miss the opportunity to celebrate Asian heritage with us.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Tom's Guide
5 Netflix movies you need to watch with 99% on Rotten Tomatoes
Looking for your next Netflix watch, and don't want to waste your precious time with a film that'll leave you disappointed? Good news, because I'm rounding up five Netflix movies that have pulled very high scores on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. Of course, scoring at least 99% on RT doesn't guarantee that a movie will appeal to your specific personal tastes. However, it does indicate that the Netflix movies on this list were all warmly embraced by critics and are broadly considered to be high-quality flicks worth watching. So, here are five Netflix movies that scored 99% or higher (yes, there are a couple of picks below that managed a very rare 100% rating) on Rotten Tomatoes for your watchlist. Horror movies are hard to get right. I adore the genre, but even I must admit there are more bad horror movies released each year than truly fantastic ones, so when a true psychological nightmare like 'Under the Shadow' comes along, it's worth shouting about. This Persian chiller certainly delivers on the scares, but like many of the recent genre greats, its spooky setup is a vehicle for some deeply thoughtful social commentary and an insightful exploration of human nature. Shideh (Narges Rashidi) lives in war-torn Tehran during the 1980s with her daughter, Dorsa (Avin Manshadi). As the conflict around her intensifies, she refuses to uproot, even when a missile strikes the apartment building where the pair lives. In the wake of this destructive event, Shiden believes that supernatural forces are trying to possess Dorsa. 'Under the Shadows' is anxiety-inducing throughout, constantly ratcheting up the tension. Watch "Under the Shadow" on Netflix now Let's switch gears from a movie that will have you unnerved to one that will make you laugh, maybe shed a few tears and leave your heart nourished. 'Will & Harper' is a delightful, charming documentary that explores the importance of friendship and how our personal relationships can evolve (often for the better) over time. It's a reminder that we should never stop growing, even later in life, and that accepting our loved ones as they are is essential. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The road trip feature follows SNL graduate Will Ferrell and former writer Harper Steele. The pair have been buddies since 1995, but their relationship enters a new chapter when Harper transitions to live as a woman. To process this change in their dynamic, they embark on a cross-country trip to explore the U.S., and along the way, they discover that their bond remains just as strong as ever. Watch "Will & Harper" on Netflix now I'll admit that before compiling this list, I was unfamiliar with 'The Forty-Year-Old Version,' so there's a good chance you might not have heard of it. It's not just pulled a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes either. It was also named one of the ten best movies of 2020 by the National Board of Review, which is a strong endorsement. This comedy-drama is certainly going on my Netflix watchlist, especially after watching the trailer. The directorial debut of Radha Blank, who also wrote the movie and stars in it, 'The Forty-Year-Old Version' sees a struggling New York-based playwright attempt an unorthodox career change. Desperate for a breakthrough, Radha (Blank) reinvents herself as a rapper, with the stage name RadhaMUSPrime. Hoping between the worlds of music and theater, she attempts to find her true voice and an outlet to share it. Watch "The Forty-Year-Old Version" on Netflix now If 'Under the Shadow' wasn't enough horror for you, then 'His House' makes for a fantastic double-feature. This horror-thriller from writer/director Remi Weekes is the type of movie that gets under the skin to the point where you might not even feel safe in your own home. Much like 'Under the Shadow,' its horror traps hide a deeper subtext. In this case, 'His House' looks at the refugee experience through the lens of a couple being haunted by an evil force. Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) and Bol (Sope Dirisu) are refugees who flee South Sudan for a decrepit house on the outskirts of London. Struggling to adapt to their new life in the United Kingdom, their ability to feel at home in their new surrounding is impacted further by something sinister lurking in the shadowy corners. 'His House' is one of the most genuinely frightening horrors of the last five years, and it will have you sleeping with the lights on for days after watching. Watch "His House" on Netflix now I've loved 'Wallace & Gromit' since I was a young child and watched our VHS copy of 'A Grand Day Out" so often that the plastic casing became warped and it stopped working. So, I have a great personal bias when it comes to the British animated icons. But even putting my nostalgic memories aside, the duo's latest adventure, 'Vengeance Most Fowl,' is a phenomenal family film with a best-in-class claymation aesthetic and loads of lovable characters, some familiar, some brand new. A follow-up to 1993's 'The Wrong Trousers' (my family also had the VHS of that adventure!), it sees the sinister Feathers McGraw return to wreak havoc on the eponymous duo. The crafty penguins' master plan is to turn Wallace's latest invention, a smart gnome for household gardening, against him and use it to steal a rare diamond. 'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' is charming fun for the whole family, and I love it. Watch "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl" on Netflix now
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Daniel Dae Kim talks Broadway, travel tips and trust issues in Amazon Prime's 'Butterfly'
NEW YORK – Daniel Dae Kim seems like a good person to ask for a travel hack. The actor, 57, lives with his family in Hawaii. He spends a decent amount of time in Los Angeles and South Korea, where he filmed his latest series, Amazon Prime's "Butterfly" (all six episodes now streaming). He travels to New York to promote the espionage thriller but soon after will return to Vancouver, where he's filming Season 3 of Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender." "It's a lot," the actor says, before offering a piece of advice. "The best thing to do is to forget about the time zone you left, because there's no sense in hanging on to something you're not gonna get back." The ancedote sounds more apt for navigating life than simply dealing with jet lag. But Kim may not be so quick to leave 2025 behind, a year when he was named to Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world, earned a Tony nomination for his role in the revival of "Yellow Face" and continues to shine a light on Asian representation in show business. "I'm incredibly grateful to be in this position and literally right here talking to you because it means that people care about the projects that I'm doing and people think that whatever I have to say means something," Kim says, "I don't know if my kids would feel the same way, but I'm very grateful." Daniel Dae Kim balances crime, family in 'Butterfly' In "Butterfly," Kim plays David Jung, a former U.S. intelligence agent living in South Korea with his wife and daughter. When Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), an agent for the spy organization Caddis, tries to kill him, Jung confronts a decision from his past while trying to save his family. "A central question in our entire season is, 'Who can you trust?'" Kim says. "And just because they're family, can you trust them? The ending to our season really speaks to that question." Kim is also an executive producer of the series and says a potential Season 2 offers "a lot more story to tell, and there are places for all of our characters to go that I find really intriguing. So let's hope people like it enough to make that happen." Daniel Dae Kim reflects on Tony nomination Kim became the first Asian nominee for best actor in a play in the Tony Awards' 78-year history. Though he lost to Cole Escola ("Oh, Mary!"), Kim enjoyed his experience on Broadway and hopes that an Asian actor can one day win the category. During his time working in New York, the self-described theater nerd "saw anything and everything" he could when it came to shows. "I was sometimes seeing plays, at least one a day for several weeks," says Kim, a graduate of New York University. "I have a lot of friends still here in New York who I grew up with and did my theater work with. So it's been nice to reconnect with the community here." Kim also celebrated his 57th birthday Aug. 4 in New York, marking the occasion with a "Butterfly" cast and crew dinner at the Korean restaurant Naro. However, unlike the opening of "Butterfly," where Kim's character is belting out The Killers' "Mr. Brightside," the actor did not partake in any karaoke afterward. "I do love 'Mr. Brightside,'" he jokes. "It doesn't matter who starts it − everyone finishes it, and that to me is a sign of a good karaoke song." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daniel Dae Kim questions who he can trust in new show 'Butterfly'
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Daniel Dae Kim talks Broadway, travel tips and trust issues in Amazon Prime's 'Butterfly'
NEW YORK – Daniel Dae Kim seems like a good person to ask for a travel hack. The actor, 57, lives with his family in Hawaii. He spends a decent amount of time in Los Angeles and South Korea, where he filmed his latest series, Amazon Prime's "Butterfly" (all six episodes now streaming). He travels to New York to promote the espionage thriller but soon after will return to Vancouver, where he's filming Season 3 of Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender." "It's a lot," the actor says, before offering a piece of advice. "The best thing to do is to forget about the time zone you left, because there's no sense in hanging on to something you're not gonna get back." The ancedote sounds more apt for navigating life than simply dealing with jet lag. But Kim may not be so quick to leave 2025 behind, a year when he was named to Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world, earned a Tony nomination for his role in the revival of "Yellow Face" and continues to shine a light on Asian representation in show business. "I'm incredibly grateful to be in this position and literally right here talking to you because it means that people care about the projects that I'm doing and people think that whatever I have to say means something," Kim says, "I don't know if my kids would feel the same way, but I'm very grateful." Daniel Dae Kim balances crime, family in 'Butterfly' In "Butterfly," Kim plays David Jung, a former U.S. intelligence agent living in South Korea with his wife and daughter. When Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), an agent for the spy organization Caddis, tries to kill him, Jung confronts a decision from his past while trying to save his family. "A central question in our entire season is, 'Who can you trust?'" Kim says. "And just because they're family, can you trust them? The ending to our season really speaks to that question." Kim is also an executive producer of the series and says a potential Season 2 offers "a lot more story to tell, and there are places for all of our characters to go that I find really intriguing. So let's hope people like it enough to make that happen." Daniel Dae Kim reflects on Tony nomination Kim became the first Asian nominee for best actor in a play in the Tony Awards' 78-year history. Though he lost to Cole Escola ("Oh, Mary!"), Kim enjoyed his experience on Broadway and hopes that an Asian actor can one day win the category. During his time working in New York, the self-described theater nerd "saw anything and everything" he could when it came to shows. "I was sometimes seeing plays, at least one a day for several weeks," says Kim, a graduate of New York University. "I have a lot of friends still here in New York who I grew up with and did my theater work with. So it's been nice to reconnect with the community here." Kim also celebrated his 57th birthday Aug. 4 in New York, marking the occasion with a "Butterfly" cast and crew dinner at the Korean restaurant Naro. However, unlike the opening of "Butterfly," where Kim's character is belting out The Killers' "Mr. Brightside," the actor did not partake in any karaoke afterward. "I do love 'Mr. Brightside,'" he jokes. "It doesn't matter who starts it − everyone finishes it, and that to me is a sign of a good karaoke song."
