On September 14th and 15th, 2024, the 34th Chinatown Autumn Festival was held on Grant Avenue in San Francisco’s Chinatown, attracting tens of thousands of visitors and creating a lively atmosphere.
Organized by the Chinatown Merchants Association, the opening ceremony of the festival drew many elected officials, community leaders from San Francisco, and a large number of tourists to celebrate the traditional Chinese holiday, the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The festival featured numerous booths, including local media, health and convenience organizations, various types of mooncakes, food, handicrafts, lucky draws, lion dances, kung fu, music, and cultural performances, keeping the energy high throughout the event.
Over the course of two days, visitors flocked to Grant Avenue to take photos with performers dressed as global Asian characters such as Chang’e, Wu Gang, and the Jade Rabbit, symbolizing the Mid-Autumn Festival.
One of the highlights of the event was the “Feeding Pandas Dumplings Competition,” where participants competed to see who could eat the most dumplings in a minute to welcome the arrival of two Chinese giant pandas.
Julia Quon, the founder of “Protect Cantonese,” attended the event with her mother, celebrating the holiday and purchasing mooncakes and other goods at the festival.
Quon expressed that participating in such events is an excellent opportunity for her to explore and understand local culture. She particularly enjoyed watching the lion dance performance and parade that day, and bought some hair clips and small gifts at the booths.
When asked about her favorite part of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Quon admitted that she especially loves eating mooncakes. Despite mooncakes not being the healthiest due to their high trans-fat content and relatively high prices, indulging in them is a moment of pure enjoyment for her throughout the year.
Regarding the significance of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Quon mentioned that to her, it symbolizes the changing of seasons and provides a great opportunity for families and friends to gather. She believes that the festival is not just about sharing mooncakes but also a chance for people to reconnect and care for each other.
In Quon’s household, there is a fun tradition during the Mid-Autumn Festival called the “Blind Taste Test of Mooncakes” game. She and her family purchase mooncakes of different flavors, taste them, and guess the flavors, making it a yearly tradition for them during the festival.
Reflecting on celebrating Chinese holidays in the U.S., Quon, as the first person in her family born in America, expressed great pride in her cultural heritage. She emphasized the importance of preserving traditions, especially to ensure that future generations can continue to inherit Chinese customs and traditions.
On September 15th, the festival concluded with the traditional dragon dance parade, wrapping up the vibrant celebrations.