A community festival celebrating the heritage of more than 20 Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander cultures is expected to draw crowds to the Oceanside Civic Center Plaza on April 26.
The Southern California Asian and Pacific Islander festival will feature traditional and contemporary cultural performances led by local artists along with art exhibits, hands-on cultural activities, a health and wellness area, a martial arts arena and live mural painting. Traditional Asian and Pacific Islander food and drink will be sold, ranging from dumplings, adobo, poke, meat pies to Hawaiian dried fruits, mango sticky rice, dole whips and boba.
A Tai Chi demonstration involving more than 40 martial artists will kick off the festival on Pier View Way. Martial arts demonstrations and lessons will be given throughout the day in the wellness area.
The lineup of cultural performances includes hula and traditional Native Hawaiian dances and drumming, Japanese taiko drumming, and Tahitian, Balinese and Polynesian dances.
Festivities will include the traditional Lion Dance with performers dressed in lion costumes and the Sea Dragon Dance, which is said to bring luck to the community.
Mahjong lessons will be offered and there will be ongoing games that attendees can . The Oceanside Library will have a Native Hawaiian history display case and art on the main floor and an oral history of the experiences of Karen refugees from Burma. The Oceanside Museum of Art will host All Play One curated and hosted by Mindfull Movement & Daja Fesili and Mary Jhun’s In Losing Sleep exhibit, as part of an artist tour along with a community mural painting activity.
The Artist Alley will host a Mystic Spiritual Faire with craft vendors, artists, performers.
The event is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Oceanside Civic Center Plaza and Pier View Way. ission is free. Visit www.apifestival.com.
