The Oregon Asian Celebration began as a celebration of diversity put on by the city of Eugene for a visiting Taiwanese delegation in 1986. Now, the festival is presented by the Asian American Council of Oregon, and hosts more than 15,000 people and features different Asian cultures, from Balinese dancing to Japanese Taiko drumming to Thai cuisine.
This year’s festival is scheduled for Saturday, July 19 at Alton Baker Park in Eugene, from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Admission is free.
David Tam, the event director, says the festival is one avenue for many people to explore different types of cuisines and experience a wide variety of Asian cultures.
“It's about exposing people to something that may pique an interest, or open engaging dialog, to be able to listen and learn,” said Tam.
According to Tam, the celebration is one of the first spaces people try something that is new to them and outside of their comfort zone.
“Maybe somebody tried Pad Thai for the first time at the celebration, like, ‘Oh, I like this’ and they want to go find a restaurant that has it. (Or) ’Maybe I'll try sushi for the first time. I've never had raw fish, but I'm kind of willing to open my mind up to try something new,’ and that's what this is about,” said Tam.
Over the years, Tam says people have also become more open to exploring and more Asian-owned businesses have opened up. According to the most recent Census data on business owners, Lane County gained 75 new Asian-owned businesses between 2017 and 2022. That’s in contrast to an overall loss of roughly 300 businesses during that same time span.
“By having these types of events and celebrating community and celebrating the diversity, people feel like it's a more welcoming space for all people,” said Tam.
