Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival Set for Downtown State College

The inaugural APIDA Festival, a celebration of Asian Pacific American heritage, will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza in downtown State College.

Organized by the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Caucus at Penn State in partnership with the Borough of State College and the PanAPIDA Circle community group, the event will feature live performances, cultural displays, food vendors and other activities highlighting the rich and diverse cultures of the APIDA community.

The festival comes a week ahead of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which is observed annually in May to celebrate the contributions of Asian and Pacific Islanders to American history and culture. The month-long celebration was officially established in 1992, and since then has been an opportunity for the Asian and Pacific Islander community to celebrate and share their heritage with the broader community, according to a news release from the APIDA Caucus.

The event is open to the public and admission is free. The MLK Plaza is located on the 100 block of South Fraser Street in State College.