Festival celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander culture in Indy

Asian Fest returns this weekend, an event for Hoosiers to learn and celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) cultures. The free event takes place during AAPI month.

The festival will include food, music and art for families. There will also be a health clinic and a brief presentation recognizing Asian American youth in the community. The partnership with the Indiana Historical Society not only includes the space for the event but a traveling exhibit with panels featuring AAPI voices.

Asian American Alliance president Rupal Thanawala said Asian Americans have called Indiana home for over 100 years. In recent years there has been a sharp increase to roughly 275,000 people according to Thanawala. With dozens of countries and hundreds of islands represented, the festival helps people connect with their fellow Americans.

“We struggle sometimes with not being understood well, and we wanted to take this opportunity to make sure that you know our Hoosier friends have an opportunity to come out and learn about our culture, but also celebrate with us,” Thanawala said.

She said the Asian American community is also growing including more biracial and blended families. The festival is a place that can help families pass culture and traditions onto the younger generations.

“I have many families who say that, you know, we have moved here to Indiana, and our families live very far in different state or different country. So this is the only place we can bring our children to show our culture,” Thanawala said.

Asian Fest will be held at the Indiana Historical Society on Saturday from 11a.m. to 4p.m.

Throughout the month the alliance has also organized a free video presentation on Monumental Circle’s AES building showcasing Asian Americans' journey to Indiana and their contributions to the state. The nightly four-minute video streams at 10, 10:30 and 11p.m.

Thanawala said through engaging Hoosiers in events including Asian Fest she hopes people take away a clear message.

“Asian Americans are Americans,” she said. “We cherish our heritage, but we are proud Americans.”

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05.