Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival returns for 2021
Courtesy Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Foundation
The fifth annual Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival will take place from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Calder Plaza, 250 Monroe Ave. NW in Grand Rapids.
The festival, which was canceled last year because of COVID-19, celebrates Asian and Pacific Island cultures through a variety of demonstrations, performances and vendors.
“It has been a tough year for a lot of people,” said Ace Marasigan, founder and CEO of the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Foundation. “After being unable to share our event last year, we are very excited to return to downtown and celebrate our rich cultures with the West Michigan community.”
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HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) â Kyndel Norsouvanh, 19, stepped onto the stage at Kollen Parkâs bandshell and surveyed the crowd of 100 or more people. (See photo gallery.)
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Asian-Pacific Festival updates name, expands mission
The Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival is now known as the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Foundation.
Along with the name change, the organization is expanding its community reach and resources to include training and internship credit hours and after-school programming.
“The Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Foundation is committed to serving our community and sharing our Asian-Pacific culture all year, not just at our annual festival,” Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Foundation founder Ace Marasigan said. “Our vision is to be a bridge between our Asian-Pacific culture and our West Michigan community through awareness, celebration and encouragement.”
The Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Foundation said it wants to acquire an office to serve as a space for operations, training, storage, community programming and fundraising events.