Lion dances, Asian food coming to Quincy for annual August Moon Festival
QUINCY – The annual August Moon Festival will return for its 35th year in Quincy Center on Sunday, Aug. 21.
The festival will run from noon to 4 p.m. on Coddington Street and will feature a lion dance, other cultural performances, live music, Asian foods and drinks, games for kids, crafts and vendor booths. The event is hosted by Quincy Asian Resources, Inc., a nonprofit that works with the city's Asian community. .
“It’s been a tradition for the community. It's a time to celebrate summer for family and, more importantly, it’s a celebration of the cultural diversity of our community,” Philip Chong, president of the nonprofit, said. “In Quincy, we’re the largest Asian population in Massachusetts ... We know the importance of working with the city to support and provide these opportunities for celebration.”
Highlights of the event include food and drink vendors providing culturally diverse food options, rock climbing, free ice cream from Dairy Queen, giveaways, dunk tanks and more.
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“It’s all free, it’s all about access,” Chong said. “We want to make sure that no matter where you’re from, who you are, there’s that access for all the fun celebration for the summer, for diversity and for the city of Quincy.”
The August Moon Festival is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture and while there are many stories about its origin, Chong said the most common one is that it’s a time for family members to celebrate the harvest. Once a year, they all join together under the full moon and have a grand meal, which includes a traditional snack of mooncakes.
“All in all, it’s about family, it’s all about love, kindness and care, so that’s a continuum we want to make sure we amplify through this celebration at the festival,” Chong said.
Chong said his favorite parts of the festival is the lion dragon dance and seeing the looks on children and families’ faces.
He said that the organization is expecting a big crowd this year. The festival typically draws more than 20,000 people.
“The weather should be good, we’re all ready and it's all hands on deck, all the volunteers and supporters have been working extremely extremely hard to make sure that all the stuff is ready for the fair,” Chong said.
For more information on the festival visit qariusa.org.
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To reach Dina Kaur, email dkaur@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Lion dances, Asian food coming for Quincy's August Moon Festival
