-Mind Chinatown Arts Festival- debuts with new community center space

Recently, Think!Chinatown hosted an open house event at their newly established community space located at 1 Pike Street. This marks the start of the seventh Chinatown Arts Festival, which officially kicked off this week, drawing strong support from local residents.

The new community space, previously a long-abandoned bar, is currently in its soft launch phase. Executive Director and Arts Festival curator, Ha Yin Kwan, shared, “It was completely covered in graffiti, and the floors were in terrible condition.” After a significant renovation effort, the office is nearly ready and will serve as a fresh venue for this year’s arts festival.

Kwan expressed her excitement, saying, “The most thrilling part is having our own space now, which allows us to host more events and workshops. We just prepared for a performance, and this year we can present a wider range of activities, marking a huge step forward for us.”

The Chinatown Arts Festival aims to blend traditional Chinese folk arts with local American-Chinese culture, offering a multicultural experience to the community. The festival will feature a rich array of artistic expressions, including traditional opera, puppetry, film, visual arts, and music. Highlights of this year’s event include a performance centered around traditional Chinese medicine, a Cantonese opera entitled “The Purple Hairpin,” and a neighborhood block party. Key locations for the festival include Mosco Street, the Think!Chinatown community space, and the green space known as “Bamboo Garden” at 5 Essex Street.

Throughout October, Chinatown residents and visitors will have the opportunity to engage in diverse cultural activities, from traditional opera to concerts and wellness workshops, immersing themselves in the vibrant culture of Chinatown. Most of the events are free to the public, although some film screenings and special events may require a fee or advance reservation. Detailed schedules for the festival can be found on their official website: thinkchinatown.org/artsfest.