12th Annual Knox Asian Festival
Knoxville Asian Festival @ World’s Fair Park
Saturday, August 23rd: Sushi + Sumo, 6-8 PM
Sunday, August 24th: Festival, 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m
Prepare to experience authentic foods, exciting performances, and traditional activities that represent the Asian cultures of Japan, Indonesia, China, The Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Nepal & Pakistan. The Asian Cultural Parade will start at 10:30 AM at the Water Fountain on the Festival Lawn and end at the Amphitheater stage. During the festival, booths for each country will have Food Vendors, Activities, & Performances. We will also have ongoing performances in the Amphitheater and 2 other stages.
Sushi + Sumo Event
Saturday, August 23
6 PM – 8 PM
Knoxville Asian Festival
Sunday, August 24
10:30 AM – 6:30 PM
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2025 Poster Contest
Submit Your Work to the 2025 Poster Contest for the 12th Annual Knox Asian Festival!
Entries Open: March 15, 2025 | Entries Close: April 25, 2025
Public Voting Begins: April 28, 2025 | Public Voting Ends: April 30, 2025
The winner will be announced on May 1, 2025, in Celebration of Asian Pacific Islanders Month!
Coming in 2025
Polynesian Dancers
Celebrate Pacific Islander culture with the Hawaiian Fire Dancers and Hula Dancers from Dawn Mahealani Douglas and Mahealani’s Polynesian Entertainment! Let’s come together to learn, enjoy, and be captivated by their artistry and traditions.
Sumo Wrestlers Return
Thanks to the generosity of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino of Bristol, we will welcome real Sumo Wrestlers from Japan back to Knoxville!
Asian World & Passport Program
The Asian Festival also includes a strong educational component: experience “Asian World,” as you and fellow visitors travel through various booths named after Asian cultural interactive activities and featuring traditional foods and art. The first 3,000 visitors will get a real blue festival passport book to stamp for each cultural booth visited. Everyone is encouraged to visit all cultural booths to learn about the diversity of cultural traditions!
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
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Stay Cool at the 2025 Knox Asian Festival
August in Knoxville is HOT, so be prepared to keep cool with FREE Water Stations & several Mist Water Spray Stations! Stay hydrated and refreshed while enjoying amazing performances, and you could even bring your bathing suit for a splash in the Fountains.
Come ready to experience the magic of culture and stay cool while you celebrate! 🌴☀️
Festival Awards
The BEST Festival in TN 2024 by TN Hospitality & Tourism Association
The annual HospitalityTN Stars of the Industry recognizes outstanding individuals and businesses of all roles within Tennessee’s hospitality and tourism industry who have demonstrated professionalism and creativity while going above and beyond their role to contribute to the positive image of the industry.
The BEST Event Awards: Kaleidoscope Awards
Best Festival or Event Over $75K by Southeast Festivals and Events Association
Applications
Be a part of the 12th Annual Knox Asian Festival!
Kind Words:
Our History
The Asian Culture Center of TN (ACCTN) was founded in 2014 to promote culture, diversity, and unity in our community. There is so much that a community benefits from when a cultural event organized. People not only develop an open mind about other people and their cultures, but the host community also becomes a center of interest for individuals and organizations looking to boost the economic capacity of that particular community. Therefore, as a highly focused organization interested in developing cultural diversity and understanding in our Tennessee community, we have strongly focused on popularizing the Asian culture, which has grown popular in the area.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to create a welcoming community by sharing our Asian Arts and Cultures. The Festival strives to bring together people from various cultural backgrounds, to promote peace, harmony, unity and a healthy lifestyle. We are promoting a diverse and harmonious society that prepares today’s children to take the stage as true global citizens.
This project was supported in part by federal award number 21.027 awarded to Knox County by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Arts & Culture Alliance.
Green Tea Ceremony House
Built by UT Students
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FESTIVAL GUIDELINES
Prohibited Items & Rules
- No motorized vehicles or scooters (unless necessary for persons with disabilities)
- No picnic supplies or coolers
- No outside food/beverage or alcohol
- No skateboards, bicycles, skates, skate shoes
- No tents, canopies
- No firearms, laser pointing devices or weapons of any kind
- No remote-controlled vehicles or aircrafts, including drones
- No stickers
- No soliciting
- No unauthorized vendors will be allowed
- No Pets are allowed
All attendees and their bags/belongings are subject to search and prohibited items will be removed at the discretion of security staff. At the gate, We might ask BAG CHECK.
We suggest you do not bring a big bag or backpack.
Knox Asian Festival is an outdoor venue and we use a weather data team to monitor weather conditions hourly on event days. Weather & event updates will also be posted on Facebook and pages and MC will make the announcement on stage in the case of extreme weather. All events are rain or shine. We offer no refunds or exchanges in the event of rain. Raincoats and ponchos are allowed. In the event of severe weather conditions (thunder/lightning, etc.)during events announcements will be made from the stage concerning the status of the event due to weather conditions. Information will be posted on Facebook. We ask all patrons to remain calm and listen to these announcements.
Guests visiting the Knox Asian Festival agree to assume all responsibility for their health and well-being and not hold Knox Asian Festival and its agents, employees, representatives, partners, sponsors, executors, and all others acting on its behalf responsible in any way with respect to COVID-19. If you are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms, please do not enter Knox Asian Festival. Common symptoms of the COVID-19 virus may include the following: High Fever, Headaches, Loss of Energy/Fatigue, Cough, Sore Throat, Runny Nose or Stuffy Nose, Body Aches, Diarrhea and/or Vomiting. Those visitors that exhibit any of these symptoms will not be allowed access into Knox Asian Festival.
NOTICE OF FILMING AND PHOTOGRAPHY
When you enter Asian Culture Center of TN event or program, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur.
By entering the event premises, you consent to interview(s), photography, audio recording, video recording and its/their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for news, web casts, promotional purposes, telecasts, advertising, inclusion on websites, social media, or any other purpose by Asian Culture Center of TN and its affiliates and representatives. Images, photos and/or videos may be used to promote similar Asian Culture Center of TN events in the future, highlight the event and exhibit the capabilities of Asian Culture Centre of TN. You release Asian Culture Center of TN, its officers and employees, and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication and use of interviews, photographs, computer images, video and/or or sound recordings.
By entering the event premises, you waive all rights you may have to any claims for payment or royalties in connection with any use, exhibition, streaming, web casting, televising, or other publication of these materials, regardless of the purpose or sponsoring of such use, exhibiting, broadcasting, web casting, or other publication irrespective of whether a fee for admission or sponsorship is charged. You also waive any right to inspect or approve any photo, video, or audio recording taken by Asian Culture Center of TN or the person or entity designated to do so by Asian Culture Center of TN.