CelebrAsian takes over the Western Gateway with food and music in downtown Des Moines
The 2022 CelebrAsian festival presented by the Iowa Asian Alliance has returned to downtown's Western Gateway for the weekend.
This Friday and Saturday, the streets of downtown Des Moines come alive with celebrations of Asian cultures and heritage from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Free parking is available in the Nationwide Ramp (entrance at 12th and Walnut streets) for the entirety of the event.
Here are some things to do while you explore CelebrAsian.
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Try something new or get a souvenir in a cultural village
Dotted throughout the festival are "villages," or tents, that celebrate various countries' traditions, clothing, food and more. At the Filipino village, sing your heart out with karaoke. Try your hand at drumming in the Japanese village, or pick up some Korean snack foods in the Korea village. Many villages have toys or souvenirs relevant to their countries.
Eat your way through Asia
With more than 20 food vendors to choose from, festival-goers have plenty of options for snacks, drinks and full meals. Most items are under $10 and include options such as chicken satay at the Indonesian tent, bubble tea smoothies at Boba Tea 168 and egg rolls from The Egg Roll Ladies. An alcohol and beverage tent is located at the corner of 12th and Locust streets, and plenty of picnic tables line Locust Street and surround the main stage.
Watch local artists perform
On Friday and starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, performers take the main stage at the center of the festival whose theme this year is "Music is Life." Performances are wide ranging, including Asian American singer-songwriter Bryce Kai kicking off the performance schedule, a theatrical Bollywood dance performance, martial arts demonstrations and a K-pop dance performance from University of Iowa group Bad Bitzies. For the full schedule of performances, bookmark the CelebrAsian event schedule.
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Watch a cooking demonstration
Near the Des Moines Public Library, the cooking demonstration tent sits in front of risers for festival goers to watch the preparation of their favorite Asian dishes. Local chefs share their secrets to making delicacies such as onigiri rice balls, moo ping, banh cuon and air-fried Hmong egg rolls.
If cooking isn't your thing, check out the car show along 15th Street, take the kids to play on the inflatables at the corner of 15th Street and Grand Avenue or watch the table tennis competition on Grand Avenue.
Vote for the 2022 People's Choice Awards
The Iowa Asian Alliance wants to know what festival goers loved most about this year's CelebrAsian. Give your favorite vendors, villages and cars the special honor of the People's Choice Awards by voting online before 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 28. Submit your vote for favorite food vendor, favorite cultural experience, favorite overall village, or one of many categories for the car show. Results will be announced on Saturday at 5:40 p.m. for everything except car awards, which will be announced at 8 p.m.
Elle Wignall covers dining for the Register. Reach her at ewignall@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ElleWignallDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What to do during CelebrAsian 2022 in downtown Des Moines
