Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Cultural Festival: Stories by the River
Date: August 4, 2024
Time: 12pm – 4pm
Location: The 418 Project, 155 South River St, Santa Cruz

Free to all

Ample parking next door in the city River/Front parking garage

The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Cultural Festival is a joint happening with the closing ceremony for the Sowing Seeds exhibition at the Museum of Art and History.

Music – Food – Art – Dance – Poetry – Stories

Join us for a day of free music, art, dance, poetry and stories as we celebrate AAPI Culture together.

All Are Welcome

General Festival Info:

Performances will be happening in the outdoor Galleria Garden Stage area.  Share your own stories of the river, eat and drink, relax and enjoy pop up performances…

Chat and engage with local AAPI organizations, learn about and experience AAPI arts in our airy 418 Project riverfront lobby…

Interactive Kids’ Playtime all afternoon in the Large Theater…

12 – 4 PM Food and Drink by your favorite local vendors- including Full Steam Dumpling, the Lumpia Lady, Nomad Momo, and Furutaya Bakery.

Event Lineup:
12:00 PM: Watsonville Taiko Festival Opening Drum Performance
12:35 PM: Land Acknowledgment
12:45 PM: Izumi Sato, Classic Indian Dance
1:00 PM:  Spoken Word Performance and Storytelling Invitation with Joseph Jason Santiago LaCour
1:15 PM:  Chinese Dragon Dream – featuring Professors Han Wang 汪涵、Xinhua Zha 查新华 and Jingzhen Yuan 袁京震
1:50 PM:  Te Hau Nui School of Hula and Tahitian Dance, Chanting, Lei Ceremony in honor of George Ow, and Hula Performance
2:20 PM:  Festival Welcome & Announcement for Sowing Seeds Presentation (Peter Weng, Janine Baltar)
2:30 PM: Sowing Seeds Closing Ceremony begins in the Small Theater. Featuring Karen Tei, Yamashita Randy Ribay, Shirley Ancheta, Robert Gomez, and Oscar Peñaranda. Hosted by Janine Baltar
2:45 PM:  Joseph Jason Santiago LaCour, Spoken Word
2:55 PM: Shen Ruoning, performing Guzheng
3:15 PM:  DJ Jaymix1
4 PM:  Festival Closing, Procession to MAH

The event will have music, food, art, dance and poetry from 12-4pm as well as the 2:30-4pm closing ceremony of ‘Sowing Seeds: Filipino American Stories from the Pajaro Valley ‘ with literature readings and speakers, culminating in a walk over to the Museum of Art and History at 4pm for a final viewing of the Sowing Seeds exhibit.

The festival is being brought to you by:

• The 418 Project
• Coastal Watershed Council
• Watsonville is in the Heart
• The Tobera Project
• Museum of Art and History
• Asian American Pacific Islander Network

Artwork by Caitlin Bayaca