Lions draped in red, silver and gold danced with such uncanny grace it was hard to think underneath were two separate heads and bodies. Martial artists moved in junction with their swords and staves, engaged in a brutal, yet beautiful geometry. Festival-goers in cosplay walked about — a Pikachu, a group of maids, a Withered Bonnie.
On Feb. 1-2, the San Antonio Asian New Year Festival was held in Rolling Oaks Mall, kicking off Lunar New Year with a diverse showcase of Asian and Pacific Islander culture. With its four stages and an endless list of performers, festival-goers could witness Japanese sumo wrestling, K-pop drag shows, cosplay contests and hula dancing. Stands snaked through the mall’s corridors, boasting trinkets from ornate chopsticks and beaded necklaces to enamel Hello Kitty pins and Pokémon figurines. Outside, food trucks sold candied fruit skewers known as tanghulu, lobster balls and teriyaki kebabs. The festival’s contents, spanning continents and centuries, reflect its mission to welcome all.
“We want to showcase everybody, so they can come out here and share their culture,” Renée Park, founder and organizer of the festival, said. “If we can get a little taste to everybody here, it’s great.”
While the festival’s wide array of activities make it a big event, its beginnings were humble, evolving throughout the years: a simple potluck between friends, a neighborhood gathering, a community celebration at the San Antonio Museum of Art growing so large it had to be pushed to the Institute of Texan Cultures — which it eventually outgrew. Today, SAANYF is a weekend-long festival attracting 20,000 visitors, the height of a gradual metamorphosis that aptly parallels the festival’s record of Asian history as it evolves.
“My children have grown up with [this festival] and now my grandchildren. It’s generations. We see it. I see it in my vendors,” Park said. “One young lady asked me, ‘Hey, Auntie Renée, you remember me?’ I [was] like, ‘No.’ That was fifteen years ago, and now she brings her little girl.”
While the festival celebrates heritage, for many — especially performers — it is also a reunion. Dojos, K-pop dance groups, cosplaying performers and even a lion dancing association come onto the same stage, grateful to celebrate the coming year together. Beyond being an opportunity for communities to share their cultures, the festival is also an important fundraiser for many of them.
“A lot of them are nonprofits — churches and schools. They were very excited [to come back]. We want to share all of this and be thankful for everything that’s happened.”
Lunar New Year itself is rooted in gratitude. Red is worn as a symbol of good fortune, and offerings are made to honor ancestors while embracing the possibilities of the future. The festival reflects this spirit, bringing together different generations and traditions under one roof.
“I think the most [important] thing is and what’s also beautiful about this is, many of our cultures here have history,” Park said. “Not everyone got along, but for everybody to still come here and share is amazing. You’re learning more and more.”
