Japanese Language Class

                                                                                                     Starting from January 6th, 2024 

 

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What’s Happening in 2023:

The Asian Cultural Parade will start at 10:30 AM at the Water Fountain on the Festival Lawn and end at 11:30 AM 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, including FREE Sumo Demonstrations & photo opportunities! 

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Special Thanks to the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority & TVA, whose sponsorships mean the Sumo Wrestler Exhibitions are FREE! Thank You So Much!

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Get Ready for the Festival

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Order Shirts & Bottles

Ordering is NOW OPEN for the 2023 Knoxville Asian Festival T-shirt (designed by Tammy Vickers) as well as 10th Anniversary Water Bottles!

Order Online to Pick Up At Festival on August 26th

t-shirt design and water bottle
Activity Registration

Sign Up Now to Join These Activities During the Festival:

tea ceremony

Festival
Maps

Performance
Schedule

Food
Vendors

Passport
Program

Order T-shirts
& Water Bottles

Our
Sponsors

New Events in 2023

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World’s BEST Sumo Show

Enjoy astounding action as Sumo Stars go head-to-head!

2 PM Sumo Show + 3 PM Photos
5 pm Sumo Show + 6 PM Photos

For the first time, Sumo Wrestlers will be performing during the festival on August 26th! This event will be FREE, thanks to the kind sponsorships of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority & Tennessee Valley Authority.
Thank you so much to both of these sponsors!

sumo wrestlers
Songkran

“The Biggest Water Fight in the World”

Known as the biggest water fight in the world, Songkran is the festival marking the Thai New Year, and is all about making a fresh start with a splash!

songkran event
Asian World & Passport Program

The Asian Festival also includes a strong educational component. We recently implemented “Asian World,” where visitors travel through various booths that are named after Asian cultural interactive activities and feature traditional foods and art for each one.

Children and adults will receive a stamp on their festival passports for each cultural booth visited. Everyone is encouraged to visit all cultural booths to learn about the diversity of cultural traditions!

Performances
  • Angklung Music (Indonesia)
  • Martial Art Demonstrations
  • Traditional Dancers
  • Thailand Dancers from Washington DC
  • K-Pop & J-Pop Performances
  • Kimono Show
  • Bonsai Exhibition
  • Japanese Tea Ceremony
  • Taiko Drum from Disney World
  • And More!
Passport Program

 

One of the most important components of the Knoxville Asian Festival is EDUCATION! Across both lawns, you’ll find booths representing different countries featuring traditional foods, activities, performances, & more. By joining in on the Passport Program, you can receive a stamp at each booth, and may even win a free t-shirt! (See Details)

What will you discover at the festival this year?
Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation logo

Established in 1991, the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation is the world’s largest orangutan conservation organization. Through their global partnerships, they are changing the downward trajectory for Bornean orangutans and their depleting rainforests.

Join Us to Learn More About BOS at the Festival on August 26th

orangutan baby in wheelbarrow
release of orangutan
Matsuriza Performance
Japanese Traditional Taiko Drums
matsuriza drummers
JEI Angklung
Performers from West Java, Indonesia
jei angklung
Kind Words:
It was wonderful and so well organized!!!! Thank you to everyone who was involved in this great event!!!!

– Ana Rivera

Absolutely wonderful event! Tahnk you for working so hard to put it together. Loved the food, performances, vendors…all of it was fantastic! Thank you!!

– Karol Harper

Absolutely awesome, amazing and super fun event! one of the best we have ever had the privilege of attending. All the participants brought their absolute best and it really showed. Our family learned so much and gained a greater appreciation towards the diversity, uniqueness and beauty of each country represented. We look forward to next years event!

– Grace Holt

I love this festival every year and ALL the cultures represented; it had a particularly important meaning to me this year though. My grandmother, who was born and raised in Japan, pased away of Covid. While I know my Dad will pass on some of the culture to them, sadly my young children will never get the full cultural experience she would have shared. But for a brief few hours, on a sunny day in Knoxville, I felt like they were embraced by the people and culture she so dearly loved. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

– Dani Helene

I was very glad to participate and watch so many performances from all over Asia!

– Ramya Sundaresan Kapadia

It was a great festival this year! It’s so great to have it back. Thank you for taking such good care of the volunteers – it was a pleasure helping out. Looking forward to next year.

– Matt Harper

It was really a great experience. I never thought this program could be that big … we had a great time taking part in the event.

– Anik Muhury

It was amazing. Diversity makes us all stronger. Thank you for sharing your culture with your neighbors here in our city. I can’t wait to see what next year brings!

– Brandon Childress

Our History

The Asian Culture Center of TN (ACCTN) was founded in 2014 with the aim of promoting culture, diversity, and unity in the community. There is so much that a community benefits from every time there is 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.

2023 Poster Contest Winners
1st Place – Tammy Vickers
2nd Place – Liz Lee
3rd Place – Kory Flatford

Congratulations to our winners of this year’s poster contest! The design by Tammy Vickers will be featured on our t-shirts and posters all over town for the 10th Annual Knox Asian Festival. Thank you to everyone who submitted work and voted – it was a very tight competition this year!

knox asian festival poster

Applications

Be a part of the 11th Annual Knox Asian Festival!

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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.

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