INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — As Indianapolis grows, it becomes home to more and more international cultures. This weekend’s past Asian Fest was bigger and prouder than ever for Indiana’s growing Asian American community.
“I think this was probably the biggest Asian Fest we had in the past several years. I would say we got around 3,000 people,” Rupal Thanawala, president of Asian American Alliance, said.
News 8 first reported on Saturday’s event to highlight the dozens of countries and cultures that make up Asia — from east and southeast Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Over 20 ethnic groups were represented. Each year, the festival includes music, dance, and martial arts demonstrations and has interactive games, hands-on crafts, and authentic food.
“We had around 22 different groups performing in the whole Basile Theatre. Probably 150 artists performed throughout the day,” Thanawala said.
Thanawala has been part of the festival’s leadership for years. She says it was crucial for the Asian American Alliance to provide free health screenings that avoid language and cultural barriers.
“We had around 10 nurses at the booth. They were busy throughout the day. This was very important,” she said.
According to Thanawala, there are about 275,000 Asian Americans in the state, representing 200 different ethnic groups. She hopes that number keeps growing, saying it’s a great way to strengthen the community.
“I think it’s very critical to take a pause to just share our culture, but to also have others come and learn about it. Everyone around here has some touchpoint with different cultures and this gives us an opportunity to educate others about who we are,” she said.
The Asian American Alliance plans to walk in the Indy Festival 500 parade to further expose the community to other cultures and will have more cultural events in July.