Trip Report: Knox Asian Festival 2018

I mentioned before that Knoxville has great International Festivals, particularly in the fall. I visited the Knox Asian Festival on August 11, 2018. It’s close to Chattanooga and the event and parking are totally free! It was a great chance to get out of town on the cheap.

Mostly, I walked around and took pictures. But I also bought a new work bag made from vintage Thailand fabrics, saw a Korean drumming demonstration, witnessed a traditional tea ceremony, played some games, and saw some wonderful food on sale. My only (slight) regret is that I didn’t get this bubble-waffle thing with ice cream in it.

PERFORMANCES

The big draw for this festival is the Matsuriza Taiko Japanese drummers who also perform in Disney’s Epcot park. I caught their performance about halfway through and noted that it was pretty much exactly the same as last year’s. But even so, it is very entertaining!

Other performances during this event can range from traditional dances from Thailand or Vietnam, the Korean drummers that I saw, all the way to a group of rather *ahem* elderly white folks doing a Tai Chi demonstration or scantily-dressed young white people sexy dancing to K-pop.

FOOD & ACTIVITIES

Thankfully, there are lots of other things to do if the current performance is not particularly entertaining to you. There are tons of food vendors from several different Asian countries, lots of informational booths about tourism, and booths that host games, calligraphy workshops, and even giveaways. A lot of the activities are geared towards children, which is a fun way for the whole family to get involved.

There’s also not just one stage–there’s at least one more, which is where I saw the Korean drummers. There are a lot of nooks to explore here, so make sure you wander around!