Marking its 16th year of celebration, this year’s PHS Asian Fest, which took place on March 17, showcased the diversity of the many Asian cultures within Princeton. During the night, the festival provided food, cultural music, games, and performances, showcasing the many different cultures within Asia.

Asian Fest began at 7:00 p.m. on March 17 with "culture stations" set up around the Gym that provided attendees with the opportunity to enjoy a variety of activities.

“Asian-American Club [was] doing trivia … there was also calligraphy drawing, Chinese yo-yo, and … food stations where you [could] buy … different cultural foods,” said Michelle Peng ’23, president of the Asian-American Club and an Asian Fest emcee.

After participating in the various available activities, attendees were able to watch performances put on by different PHS student groups at 8:00 p.m. One of those performances, which has been a part of Asian Fest for a number of years, was the fashion show put on by the Asian American Club.

“We [presented] different things like a diverse set of traditional clothing. Models [were] walking down and wearing certain clothing while we're describing it,” Peng said.

With an overall positive reaction from the audience, many students appreciated the various shows that were put on throughout the night.

“I enjoyed all the different performances from all the groups. My favorite performances were the Lion Dance and Bollywood Club dance because they had so much energy. I think that the crowd really reacted well to that and matched that energy,” said Shrey Khetan ’24, who attended the event.

However, the event didn’t just come together in one night. The planning process began months in advance, starting in December. In addition to preparing for performances, smaller details such as poster designs, food, and activity stands were also thought out. Representatives from the different clubs and the Mandarin classes met on specific days, organizing the many aspects of the event.

“Behind the scenes, students made a lot of effort that demonstrated what they learned in their classes [and clubs]. Students designed the T-shirt and they did a lot [for] the performances. Most importantly, the students are sharing powerful content to our community. And by providing it, you have the opportunity to learn about Asian culture,” said PHS Mandarin teacher Shwu-Fen Lin.

Before Asian Fest’s creation sixteen years ago, it was simply an idea of a few students who believed in the importance of spreading Asian culture. Members of the Asian-American, Chinese, and Japanese clubs all had a vision of starting a festival to promote Asian culture. After mentioning their ideas to Lin, a plan was set in motion to make it a reality.

“We began the program, [so] we can celebrate their vision project together. We had a 12 percent to 15 percent Asian population, so it was a good time to introduce Asian culture to our community,” Lin said.

With an ever-growing population of Asian Americans at PHS and in the U.S., Lin expressed the importance of displaying Asian culture to the community. Being able to share an array of historic and modern trends from different cultures that may not be well known was exactly what the clubs wanted to accomplish. Many clubs, such as Bollywood Club, performed traditional dance moves with a modern twist.

“Getting to share music and moves with an audience is extremely important since most people wouldn’t normally see something like this. It’s also important for the Indian members to get in touch with their culture more frequently,” said Bollywood Club officer Ishaan Banerjee ’23. “Bollywood Club combines some of our favorite aspects of Indian culture, combined with some of the American traditions we know well.”

Asian Fest was open to the school’s faculty and students, but also to the outside community free of charge — a testament to the event’s goal of making Asian culture accessible.

“A lot more people attended the event than I expected … I think that the clubs and the school did a great job of promoting the event, making sure that there was awareness of an opportunity to have fun and enjoy the work of students,” said Henry Xu ’24.

Asian Fest is not the only way that PHS students have been celebrating Asian culture. For example, the Japanese Club, led by Japanese teacher Risa Sakakibara, has offered cooking and dancing lessons to students at meetings.

“It's a lot of fun. We do a lot of dancing and they listen to a lot of traditional Japanese music. And I think it's just so different; at first they feel embarrassed, but once they get used to it's very natural,” Sakakibara said.

After feeling more comfortable with embracing their Asian culture, many students are motivated to share their own experiences — whether it is through food, art, or even dancing — Asian Fest provided a way to do that.

“After watching the amazing performances at Asian Fest, I’m considering joining the Bollywood Club next year. It seemed like everyone was just having so much fun and it makes me feel secure in being open in public expression,” Khetan said.

Asian Fest wasn’t just a fun event for students to enjoy; it also created a safe environment where students were able to express themselves and feel proud of their culture.

“[The entire event] provides an opportunity to learn and appreciate different cultures and have fun with friends and recognize the effort put into organizing the event,” Khetan said.

Following the end of another successful Asian Fest, both teachers and students agreed that, in addition to being fun for its attendees, this event helped create more understanding within PHS’s diverse community.

“A lot of people make assumptions without really knowing anything, [which] causes a lot of conflict and hate to individuals,” said Sakakibara. “Education is very important to understand each other, and I hope these kinds of events spread the idea of what Asian culture [is]. And once they know their cultures, [they] will see things in different ways. And I hope a lot of people who aren’t exposed to Asian cultures came to this festival and enjoyed the diversity.”