Make plans to check out the Alabama Asian Cultures Foundation's food festival April 6.
Here are the festival details and schedule:
The 2013 Birmingham Asian Cultures and Food Festival will be held this year on Saturday, April 6, 2013, from 10:30am (opening ceremony) until 4:00 pm at the Cedars Club in Birmingham, AL.
This year’s Festival begins with the traditional Opening Ceremony: Children’s Chorus, remarks from visiting dignitaries and friends, and the official ribbon cutting at 11:00 am. We hope you will delight in and appreciate the performers who will present dance, song, music, martial arts, and colorful costumes from several Asian countries in our popular annual fashion show. This year we have performances and activities scheduled by members of Florida State University’s Balinese Dancer to show and educate you about the traditional music and dance of Bali (Indonesia), and how they relate to those of other Asian cultures. There will also be an educational opportunity for “kids” from 6-99 to “walk across the Pacific” on a giant map from National Geographic, guided by an experienced teacher, and learn a great deal about many Pacific rim countries while having great fun! Ever have the chance to really play Cricket? You will at this year’s Festival. In addition to the FSU Balinese Dancers, a representative of the Sho No Ryu studio in Tokyo, will present several classical Japanese dances. Our long time local friends, Natyananda and Notinee Indian dance groups, will be joined for the first time by an Indian Bollywood group called Fusion Faction. Again, the spectacular Chinese Jasmine Dance Ensemble, which has performed at every festival we have sponsored, will delight us with graceful dance and colorful costumes. The very different sounds of traditional Asian music and rhythms will conjure images of far-away lands, as will the silk and painted art, ceramics, books, dolls, umbrellas, lanterns, plants, and other items on sale in the Festival Bazaar (an ATM machine is available for the first time). Children and adults will again present many different and colorful costumes during our annual fashion show that always appeals to all ages and every photographer. The “Food Court” opens at 11:45 am.
Food is also a major part of this Festival. Again, there will be cuisine offered from seven different Asian countries. Sample as you will, and savor the aromas, flavors, and textures of the foods offered. Try new things and discover new favorites. You can buy a prepared plate or prepare your own by a la carte purchasing. Pots of Jasmine tea, sodas, and water will be available also.
One of the goals of the Foundation is the construction of the only classical Chinese garden in the South – a place of beauty and repose, as well as where artistic, cultural, social, therapeutic, and educational programs and events can occur. There will again be an opportunity to see the model of the design created for Birmingham’s Alabama Classical Chinese Garden by a world-class team from Suzhou, China, when they visited the city in 2007.
Following tradition, this year’s Miss Birmingham (2013), Miss Elisabeth Chramer, will serve as hostess for the festival, cut the ribbon to open the festivities, direct the Children’s Chorus in the opening ceremony, and be available for photographs with children.
Admission this year is $6.00 for adults 18 and over, $4.00 for teens (13-17) and college students with ID, and free for children 12 and under. Food service will be available from 11:45 am - 3:00 pm. A small number of invited restaurants representing many Asian cuisines will have prepared plates available for $8.00 each. For the more adventurous, each restaurant will also offer “a la carte” portions of a few special dishes to add to your plate for $3.00 each, so you can wander among the tables and sample dishes from seven different Asian countries whose cuisine you may have never tried before. Soft drinks and bottled water will be available for $1.00 each, and a teapot of hot Jasmine tea with four cups is $5.00.
Festival Details at a Glance:
Location: Cedars Club, 301 Green Springs Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205
(Just two blocks east of I-65 at the Green Springs Avenue exit.)
Hours: 10:30am (opening ceremony) until 4:00pm.
Ages: All Ages - Kid and Family Friendly
Admission: $5.00 for adults; $3.00 teens and college students with ID; free for children 12 and under.
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