Paper lanterns and twinkling lights were strung above Ives Park in Sebastopol Saturday as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the first-ever Many Moons Festival.
Hosted by the Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay, the festival served as a celebration of Asian American, South and Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander culture and heritage.
“It was almost shoulder-to-shoulder people in parts of the festival which I loved,” said AAPIC Director of Development Lisa Johnson-Foster. “The turnout was even more than we could have hoped for.”
Festival attendees had the opportunity to visit dozens of different booths and vendors to try different cultural foods, look at art and, in Johnson-Foster’s words, take a piece of culture and cultural knowledge home with them.
In one section of the park was a table and stage where different demonstrations were held.
Lani Chan of Big Spoon Sauce Company hosted a wonton-making demonstration.
A crowd of people huddled around Amber MacLean and watched her do a brush painting demonstration, teaching eager audience members about the different paints and painting live for them.
At another table, people learned how to play mahjong.
Throughout the day, audience members were treated to live dance performances and a traditional clothing and costume fashion show dubbed the “Chop Suey Fashion Show.”
“We wanted people in our North Bay communities to feel represented,” said Johnson-Foster about the diversity represented across all of the vendors and entertainment.
“It really felt amazing to be at an event with so many of our backgrounds represented and so many different AAPI people there to experience it with her families,” she said.
The Many Moons Festival has been in the works for a year, Johnson-Foster said. On Saturday morning, staff and volunteers arrived at the park to set up and decorate.
Her mom hung Chinese red envelopes on an AAPIC booth and volunteers enthusiastically stepped up and asked how they could help, she said.
“It was their way of showing their pride,” she said.
The AAPIC was formed during the pandemic to combat hate and build community for Asian communities in the region, Johnson-Foster said.
Saturday’s event was emblematic of the community the organization has sought to build over the last four years. For Johnson-Foster, the diversity of people represented and the diversity of the attendees was special.
Going forward, she said she hopes the organization can host many more festivals and events like the one on Saturday.
“This was such a positive event people got to attend and come experience it and find more of their people,” Johnson-Foster said.