An annual fall festival featuring authentic Asian culture and food drew about 15,000 attendees to a picturesque location along the Neversink River in New York over the weekend.
The ninth Moon Festival had the most visitors yet, many of whom were returning patrons who have made it an annual family tradition, according to festival coordinator Jin Pang.
“I am happy to see it growing into the largest Asian culture and food festival in Hudson Valley and a beloved tradition for so many local families,” Pang told The Epoch Times.
“It embodies the very spirit of the festival—in many Asian countries, Moon Festival is a time when family members gather from afar and create cherished memories together.”
Roberto Chanway, a town of Wallkill resident and an immigrant from Peru, has attended the festival in Deerpark for the past three years with his wife and three children.
Chanway said because both of his grandfathers were of Chinese descent, he feels a natural connection with Asian culture and wanted his children to get close to it, too.
“The food was great,” he told The Epoch Times. “We always had a great time.”
Dozens of food vendors lined several aisles. They sold a wide selection of authentic Asian eats and drinks, including pork buns, soup dumplings, Japanese ramen, Tianjin-style crepes, roasted duck, Xinjiang-style lamb skewers, Taiwanese rice bowls, milk tea, and soybean drinks.
Alice Rajnert, of Warwick, and daughter Lisa Hendelman, of Pennsylvania, attended the festival together for the second time and enjoyed an expanded array of dance, musical, and martial arts performances.
“I really liked the fan dance by the girls and was impressed with the techniques that some of the boys demonstrated,” Hendelman told The Epoch Times. “I think the festival offers a great multicultural experience, especially to those who don’t get to go to theaters in New York City.”
Northern Academy and Fei Tian College in Middletown presented most of the onstage cultural performances, which featured classic, folk, and ethnic Chinese dance; ancient Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu; and traditional attire demonstrations.
Hendelman also bought several moon cakes—traditional pastries eaten during the Moon Festival in Asian countries—to try at home.
Leynnie Belonio, a Scranton, Pennsylvania, resident of Chinese and Philippine descent, attended the festival for the first time with her fiancé, Vincent Landers, and his children. She said it felt great to connect with her home culture again.
“I really liked the bubble tea and want to try out more Taiwanese food, and the children cannot wait for the interactive lion and dragon dances,” Belonio told The Epoch Times.
Liam O’Neill, one of the founders of the Moon Festival, said the annual event is an effort by a growing Chinese diaspora in western Orange County to share their cultural talents with their neighbors and build mutual understanding and appreciation.
The festival was originally hosted in the neighboring village of Otisville. When it outgrew the space, it was moved to its current location at New Century, near the last stretch of the Neversink River before it flows into the Delaware River in the city of Port Jervis.
New York Assemblyman Karl Brabenec, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, Orange County Legislator Tom Faggione, Town of Wallkill Supervisor George Serrano, and Town of Deerpark Councilwoman Christa Hoovler visited the festival and greeted attendees from the stage.
Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-N.Y.), state Sen. James Skoufis, and Town of Deerpark Supervisor Gary Spears sent official certificates recognizing the festival.
The Epoch Times is a sponsor of the Moon Festival.
