Annual Asian Festival Celebrates Year of the Rat
February 3, 2020 - Downtown San Antonio
Scenes from the 33rd Annual Asian Festival on Saturday, February 1, 2020. The day-long festival is held at the UTSA Institute of Texas Cultures. Photos: B. Kay Richter and Antonia Padilla.
Article by: B. Kay Richter - Writer, SA Sentinel
Nearly 14,000 visitors took in a dose of Asian art and culture on Saturday during the 33rd Annual Asian Festival hosted by the UTSA Institute of Texas Cultures.
According to Senior Communications Specialist James Benavides, a new addition to the day-long festival was the sound of K-Pop - or Korean pop. The music genre originally hails from South Korea and has been on the rise since the early 2000s. Due largely to the distribution via the Internet and YouTube, the musical style has seen double-digit growth.
Benavides said there are new additions every year, and that the festival sees not only newcomers but also familiar faces.
"We have over 60 organizations that participate in the festival," Benavides said. “Those organizations represent nearly every continent ranging from China, Japan, the Indian subcontinent and the island nations of the Pacific.”
B. Kay Richter is a writer and photographer residing in the Alamo City. Contact her at bkay@sasentinel.com