The COVID-19 pandemic put many beloved community events on hold these past two years. The Knox Asian Festival was one of those, but after a two-year break, the festival will return to World’s Fair Park on Sunday, Aug. 28.
The festival will kick off at 10 a.m. with a parade of nations. The parade will begin at World’s Fair Park and will make its way to the amphitheater, where 26 national representatives (two from every country) will sing a rendition of “We Are the World.” The singers will be accompanied by the Clayton-Bradley Academy student orchestra.
There will be over 100 tents and booths at the festival, offering tasty food, crafts and cultural exhibitions. This is the largest number of participants the festival has seen, and it had to implement a waiting list after reaching maximum capacity for the festival space.
The festival’s iconic passport program makes a return, which encourages festival goers to visit each of the 13 culture tents to collect stamps and experience what the cultures have to offer, including henna tattoos and Japanese sake tasting. Attendees are also encouraged to take pictures and post them to social media under the hashtag #knoxasianfestival to enter for a chance to win one of 10 commemorative t-shirts.
Besides food and merchandise, there will be performances all day long spread across two stages: the amphitheater and a stage on the lawn of the park. A schedule of the events can be found on the Knox Asian Festival website. Audiences will be treated to traditional dances, folk music and even martial arts demonstrations.
Kumi Alderman, executive director of the Asian Culture Center of Tennessee (ACCTN), said they are eager to be back.
“Finally, the time has come,” Alderman said. “It was a very tough time for all of us not being able to connect to people during COVID. We are very happy to organize the 9th Knox Asian Festival again to connect people to people to create and keep a welcoming community.”
Yuriko Biles, a senior majoring in English and nonprofit management, serves as a communications editor and fundraising intern on the AACTN board this year.
“My hope for this year’s festival is that it serves as a reunion for all of the different AAPI communities in Knoxville,” Biles said.
While the CDC has relaxed COVID-19 guidelines, festival organizers have continued to make safety a top priority. Hand sanitizer stations will be set up throughout the grounds.
Admission to the festival is free. However, attendees are encouraged to pre-register for the festival. Thirty participants will be selected at random to win one free ramen from the Ramen Bones food truck.
Since the festival is entirely outdoors, in the event of inclement weather, attendees are highly encouraged to follow the festival’s Facebook page for updates.
In addition to the main festival, ACCTN has partnered with Central Cinema to host the 2022 Asian Film Festival on Saturday, Aug. 27. The day-long festival will feature five films, including celebrated Japanese film “Rashomon” and director Bong Joon-ho’s (“Parasite”) thriller “Memories of Murder.” Tickets are $10 per screening or $35 for a day pass to all showings. Tickets can be purchased at the Central Cinema website.
