TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and to celebrate, the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center is partnering with Tucson Foodie to host the first-ever Asian Night Market in Tucson.
The free event will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River Road. It will feature about 14 food vendors, arts and crafts for sale, and live performances, including the Chinese lion dance and Polynesian dancing. Cultures represented will include those of China, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and Hawaii.
Parking will be available at the center and in an adjacent lot. All are welcome, but only service animals will be allowed.
Susan Chan, executive director of the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, said the idea was inspired by Asian night markets in Phoenix, where the center already participates in performances and volunteer work.
She hopes the event will engage all ages, especially younger generations.
“A lot of them don’t have a sense of culture and history, so we felt with a lot of the interracial marriages that are happening, the relationships, people doing business with different parts of the country, just to be able to make sure the community is well diverse in all the different Asian cultures,” Chan said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
