On Saturday, October 3, with the refreshing autumn breeze and the brilliant sunshine, the second annual “Arts & Culture Festival 2026” held at the FTC Northern campus of Feitian University in the midtown of New York State welcomed a peak in visitors over the four-day event. Dozens of arts groups showcased multicultural arts performances on stage, receiving enthusiastic praise from the audience. Whether visitors, vendors, or city officials, everyone lauded the artists for connecting various community members to celebrate the beauty of their cultures together.
The director of cultural arts at FTC Northern, Janet Xiong, introduced the original intention of organizing this arts festival. She shared that over the past decade, the team at FTC Northern transformed an abandoned psychiatric hospital into a vibrant university campus.
“It’s a mountainous area where the residents used to be primarily Caucasian. When we arrived, others didn’t quite understand us. So, in order to communicate with the community and help everyone understand us, we wanted to find a channel, a venue, in a location with good outdoor weather, to gather people together to interact, communicate,” Janet said, explaining the origins of the festival.
“Eventually, we developed this venue in this ruins and built a stage, not only to showcase our cultures but also to let everyone see the overall change in this environment. We have indeed improved the quality of life in the community and brought prosperity to the local economy.”
Janet mentioned that this year’s festival was even larger in scale than the previous year. The program included multicultural music, choir performances, dances, children’s shows, Hanfu displays, as well as large-scale art exhibitions, graphic design exhibitions, tea ceremonies, numerous handicraft stalls, food stalls, cultural stands, and more.
“Our festival focuses on cultural arts and has received support from the city government, connecting us with various communities. We also have a market with various flavors of snacks, clothing, accessories, forming a lively marketplace,” Janet said, expressing gratitude in the event brochure to 500 local businesses and sponsors for their support. “We thank every sponsor, performer, local business, student, volunteer, and community supporter.”
Mayor Joseph Destefano of the midtown city stated that the festival symbolizes that the “city has taken another important step in promoting cultural exchange, celebrating artistic talents, and strengthening community cohesion.”
“Through the joint efforts of Feitian University Northern Campus, Orange County Asian American Community Alliance, local businesses, and numerous community partners, this event has evolved into a diverse, creative, cultural, and unifying celebration.”
Mayor Destefano said he personally visited the event on the first day and told NTD that, “This year, the scale is unprecedented with many booths, a lot of artwork, and many cultural activities from early morning until 8 pm, continuing to Sunday; it’s a great opportunity to enjoy a wonderful time with family.”
Destefano also expressed his feelings about Chinese traditional culture, describing it as “serene and delightful,” adding, “That’s what I feel every time I visit this campus. The people here are calm, eager to learn, and know how to enjoy life, whether it’s having a cup of tea or dinner. Everything is consistent. The key is the people; they have a consistency that also conveys joy to people like me, being with them is pleasant, without chaos, only calmness and efficiency.”
Director of Economic and Community Development Office in midtown city, Maria Bruni, told Epoch Times that she enjoys collaborating with the organizers.
“It all started with the university coming to our hometown community and doing amazing work here, transforming the campus and organizing this arts and culture festival, which has brought our community closer together to showcase what is happening here.”
She said, “Midtown city has many exciting activities, and the same is true in this campus. It’s been great working with them, and the cultural atmosphere is commendable. What better weekend than this?”
Bruni also mentioned how Chinese and Asian American communities bring “positive energy” to midtown: “The Asian community has been growing and continues to expand. This is reflected not only in businesses, construction, but most importantly, in the people here—they make our community vibrant, bring positive energy, and are an indispensable part of our community.”
The majority of visitors to the art festival were local residents, but there were also people who traveled from New York City. Some enjoyed the food, some loved the art, some sought advice. Everyone mentioned that they immensely enjoyed the multicultural atmosphere here.
“This place is simply amazing!” local resident Lashanda said. “It’s my first time coming, the food is delicious, people are friendly, and I will definitely come back.”
Sarah Casillo, a primary school teacher from Newburgh, drove half an hour to attend; she was amazed by the grand scale of the event: “It’s much bigger than I imagined, the food is fantastic, I love all the booths and everything here. As a teacher, I must say, the children’s performances left the deepest impression on me; their way of performing is something I never dared to imagine before, it’s very special.”
Henry, an electrician from Brooklyn, expressed, “The beautiful weather combined with arts and food, I love everything here. What I love most is the multicultural atmosphere here, it feels really good.”
Nina and Ben, who live nearby, were both first-time visitors. They were strolling around while eating scallion pancakes. “This place is so beautiful!” Nina said. “Everything looks so pretty.”
Retired correctional officer Lawrence mentioned that it was his second time attending the event because he enjoys everything here. “Performances, food, everything, and the overall atmosphere here, I participate in whatever activity they host.”
Photographer Dyana Van Campen has been continuously capturing the performers on and off the stage, constantly praising the beauty of the scenes. “The event is fantastic! Full of vitality, friendly, hospitable, allowing people to understand culture and the world in a day, better yet: allowing everyone to open their hearts because ultimately we are all in one world, in one community, and people need to open up to each other.”
Businesses also reaped abundant rewards. Kamal Kapadia, a booth owner of a financial education information institution, expressed his interest in the festival: “This is a multicultural event that lasts for four days and is of a very large scale. Here, I can meet and communicate with the people in the local midtown community and educate them on financial knowledge, business opportunities, and personal financial planning,” Kapadia said, “I firmly believe that our community should receive financial education.”
Ken De Leeuw, a glass craftsman who lives on Hagen Avenue across the street, attended the festival for the first time and set up a booth in the art exhibition hall. Business was booming as he sold many products.
“I feel great; we used to be a secret in midtown, relying on word of mouth, but this event serves as a showcase window for us,” Leeuw said. “A friend heard about the art exhibition here and asked if we wanted to participate; well, the business is really good.”
This year’s art festival will continue its final day of activities this Sunday. For more details, please visit: https://artsculturefestival.com/