The 30th Oregon Asian Celebration will take place at Eugene’s Lane Events Center this Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 14-15). The Asian Celebration incorporates the different countries of Asia in an annual festival. The celebration is a platform that brings the community together through Asian culture, history, entertainment and food. The festivities take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Both days hold numerous events, including martial arts performances, lion dances, puppet shows, cooking demonstrations and various live music performances. University of Oregon President Scott Coltrane will be speaking, as well as other UO students, athletes, diversity scholars and young scholars.
All ages are welcome and encouraged to enjoy this event. A special children’s room for kids 12 and under will be available.
This year’s theme is “Celebrating 30 Years of Love and Diversity,” and since Saturday is Valentine ’s Day, there is one event in particular which might interest couples, “Canoodle Noodle,” a noodle eating contest. The winners will receive a gift certificate to a local restaurant.
“Couples, or even friends, can enter the contest,” says event co-director Ardyn Wolfe. “The goal is to feed your partner noodles with a pair of long chopsticks, whoever finishes first wins!”
Wolfe has been involved with the Asian Celebration for 12 years and said the most rewarding experience has been seeing everyone come together, from all different backgrounds and nationalities.
The event will have a food court with a mix of commercial vendors and community groups. Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese and Korean food will all be served.
Tickets are free for students on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Oregon Community Credit Union. Student IDs must be presented to receive the tickets.
One-day tickets ($6) and two-day tickets ($10) are also sold at the Oregon Community Credit Union. Kids 12 and under are admitted for free.
The Asian Celebration is also looking for volunteers and strongly encourages students to apply. If you are interested in volunteering for next year’s event, or want to see what volunteer opportunities are available now, contact [email protected]