Location: Franklin Park, 1755 E. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43205

A week before the Asian Festival at Franklin Park I, was downtown while participants practiced for the Dragon Boat Race. This looks like a great activity to foster group teamwork.

This festival offers free parking and shuttle services to and from designated parking lots. I parked at the Cleo Dumaree Athletic Complex, 276 S Nelson Rd., Columbus, OH 43205, and walked a couple of blocks to the festival. 

Why did you come to the Asian Festival today?

I have always been a huge fan of Asian culture. I specifically love Japan. Tokyo is my favorite city in the world. I have been twice. In middle America, being able to celebrate eastern culture in this way is amazing. Having a little bit of Japan to come to me in this way is exciting. I wanted to see what it had to offer.

Anything else?

There are some Asian vegan tacos here by Tofu Louie that are amazing.

Sidebar: Although this festival was well attended it didn’t feel crowded. I was able to sit in an empty chair to view the performances whenever I wanted to sit. I also was able to walk around at a normal non-crowd pace.

I talked to George L. Forman of the Ohio Wushu Academy, Grandmaster Darim Jang of  Darimar Martial Arts, and Kancho Benalio Padron. To see the interview click on the following link: Asian Festival Martial Arts.

I talked to Dr. Hi Huong of the Viet Performing Arts Group. They perform and play traditional Vietnamese music.

Nachdapunjab performed.

Sidebar: This performance was the highlight of the festival. This group had the crowd jumping!

My Take: This festival was a great use of space. The park was packed with things to do. There were four different stages (one inside), food trucks, vendors, places to sit and enjoy the performances, room for kids to play, etc. The vivid colors of the clothing was remarkable. There was diversity of music, dancing, and martial art.