The Cleveland Asian Festival is set to make its return with tasty treats, musical beats, delightful dances and a dash of martial arts to celebrate the culture.
It runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. the weekend of May 16-17, rain or shine, in the AsiaTown neighborhood along Payne Avenue stretching from East 27th to East 30th streets.
Johnny Wu, a festival founder and organizer, said the idea to do the festival came after seeing an Asian festival in Columbus.
That first Cleveland festival in 2010 drew 10,000 people to a one-day event. This year the two-day event is expected to draw 50,000 people, organizers said.
And if the festival continues to grow, it might need to expand its footprint.
“We pretty much have maxed out the space we have,” Wu said.
And he knows why most people make a trek to the festival each year.
“The majority of people come for the food and the performances,” Wu said.
He added at the beginning there was some resistance to the festival with some thinking it could not be pulled off but that’s not the case now. The community is fully behind the festival and it continues to grow each year.
Wu said a festival guest survey showed that 25 percent of attendees were visiting AsiaTown for the first time. The festival also has enticed people to come back to AsiaTown during the rest of the year, Wu said. He added the festival has strengthened the community and partnerships among businesses.
Besides the food and performances, the event also features a health pavilion, cosplay, Colors of Asia Fashion Show and a World Marketplace.
The food trucks and Asian food court will have 35 different offerings with cuisines that include Korean, Chinese, Himalayan, Nepalese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese and Japanese. There will be vegetarian and gluten-free options available.
The Asian Food Competition, which started in 2024, returns again this year. Participating food vendors can enter a dish to be judged by a panel of culinary experts. Festivalgoers also vote for an audience choice award.
The popular egg roll eating contest, sponsored by Li Wah, also returns. In that contest, people pay a $10 fee to see who can chow down 10 egg rolls the fastest.
The Asian-Pop Dance Cover Competition had dance teams submit videos with five teams chosen to compete live at the festival for monetary prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250.
The festival’s World Marketplace will highlight local businesses with about 90 percent of them being from Northeast Ohio.
What can people expect at the marketplace? According to the festival’s website one can “Explore a treasure trove of unique and handmade goods — from custom-designed vinyl records and intricate hand-sewn outfits to playful toad whistles and other one-of-a-kind finds you won’t see anywhere else.”
Wu wants to remind people no pets are allowed at this event because of the large crowds and limited space.
“There is no green space available,” Wu said.
Free parking will be available in three Cleveland State University lots near the intersection of East 24th Street and Payne Avenue.
Ace Taxi also will provide a free shuttle service running every 10 to 15 minutes from the parking lots to the festival grounds.
Wu knows what he would like to see next for the festival. “In the future, I would like to see more of the younger generation (in the Asian community) helping out.”
For more information about the Cleveland Asian Festival or to download a festival program, go www.clevelandasianfestival.org.
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