The Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration is Saturday at Seattle Center. It will feature dancers, bands, local vendors and other activities.
Susan Fried
May kicks off with the Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration to celebrate the first week of National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
With more than 40 countries and distinct cultural groups, languages and customs represented by the API community in the greater Seattle area, this family-friendly festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Seattle Center and streamed online.
Working to promote Asian American Pacific Islander culture, heritage and contributions for current and future generations along with the general public, the festival aims to give space to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to share their preserved traditions.
The day begins at 11 a.m. with Mak Fai Kung Fu Dragon and Lion Dance, followed by performances from the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, Traditional Dance of China at UW, Huayin Performing Arts Group, Live2Dance Seattle and Lotu Mo Ngaue, a Tongan dance group.
Headlining the event is local b-boy crew Massive Monkees, a 28-member crew from Seattle that won the 2004 World B-Boy Championships in London and appeared on season 4 of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. Other traditional and contemporary dance and musical performances include Beatbox Panda, The Kompany, MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective, Kaze Daiko, Sunshine from Polynesia and the First Samoan Congregational Church, with a traditional Samoan dance.
The Alan Sugiyama Hum Bow Eating Contest, named for the late longtime chair of the festival and community activist, will begin at 2 p.m., featuring local vendors, performers and sponsors. Other activities include traditional culinary delights, performance videos, martial arts demonstrations, API community tables, a cultural display of nations and local author Cindy Wong-Li reading her children’s book Starhug.
Seattle Center Festál is a public program presented by Seattle Center in partnership with the Asian Pacific Directors Coalition. Admission is free of charge. For more information on this festival and to learn more about this collection of ethnic, cultural events, visit seattlecenter.com/festal or call 206-684-7200.