Asian Culture honored at 4th Annual Heritage Festival

By Staff Writers Varun Madhavan and Aarav Vashisht

In light of Asian Heritage Month, the 4th Annual Asian Heritage Festival, a cultural and community-oriented event, illuminated the prevalence of Asian heritage and highlighted Asian American Pacific Islander accomplishments in the Bay Area.  Hosted in San Francisco Bay University from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 3, the festival welcomed the community with several lively liturgical dances and harmonious singing performances, food trucks, and booths from local Asian-owned businesses, successfully commemorating the diverse Asian traditions through cultural celebration and exchange.

The 4th Annual Asian Heritage event is coordinated by the Hong Kong Community Center (HKCC), former Fremont mayor Lily Mei, and the Indo-American community federation. With the help of the partner organizations, the event was free to enter, a key factor in increasing its accessibility, with the event aiming to emphasize that the Bay Area is a diverse melting pot and that Asian heritage is an integral part of its enclave. “Fremont is … home to an incredible diaspora, with over 105 languages and dialects being spoken, and almost 50% of our families come from an immigrant background … [Fremont is] one of the largest Asian majority cities [in] the United States at almost 63% [of the population]” Mei said.

Upon entrance, attendees were captivated by the profuse, distinctive dance and instrumental performances. From Newark Taiko Drumming to traditional kung fu performances, several performers across the Bay Area demonstrated cultural diversity through their acts and elicited excitement from the audience. The festival continued with a speech from the Wat Buddhanusorn Thai temple representatives, who expressed their traditional Buddhist ideals with a tranquil, meditative motif. Afterward, the Korean senior women’s group performed a pate drum performance, followed by the Newark Taiko drummers, who created a similar drum recital, exhibiting the cultural similarities and subtle differences between the cultures of Asia. 

As the performances continued, attendees were invited to take pictures of and with the luxury Porsche sports cars parked throughout the parking lot or explore the authentic food trucks brought by the Food Truck Mafia company. Across the borders of the community center, a wide array of colorful ethnic booths run by cultural and religious institutions, like the local Christian church and the Buddhist temple, spoke about their religion. Despite differing beliefs, the organizations shared the same purpose to spread and accentuate their ideals and interpretations of Asian culture. “[These] events [can help us to] reach lots of new people, especially people of many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds,” Volunteer Livia Litman said. 

Ultimately, the event was successful in turnout, embodying the essence of Asian heritage and recognition of Asian culture. As Fremont is a diverse city, comprising a significant number of Asian residents, the event was imperative in highlighting the cultures that contributed to the growth of its communities. “This is about American history. We are part of the Diaspora that makes the city and our community succeed. And I’m just delighted to be able to bring people together to celebrate,” Mei said.