Utah Asian Festival

Welcome to 47th Utah Asian Festival

Thank you for our tremendously successful 46th year! With such strong support from our local communities and sponsors, we are proud to announce the 47th Utah Asian Festival in 2024.

Our event benefits all Utahns, offering a glimpse at how traditional practices have been preserved and upheld in our state.

This festival not only connects new Americans, immigrants, and refugees to the more historic ethnic groups in our state, but also brings our diverse ethnic communities together.

Our celebration is an opportunity for all to reunite with old friends; build new friendships; meet our various communities, leaders, and elders; and seek new opportunities to be involved and support our diverse Utah Asian communities.

This year’s festival will honor our communities through traditional and modern performances, children’s activities, and spotlights on cultural, nonprofit, and commercial organizations. As always, food trucks and food booths featuring local businesses will be on site serving delicious food and refreshments. We’ve listened to your feedback and are actively working to bring you the best event possible!

Join us for the 47th annual Utah Asian Festival on Saturday, June 8th from 11:00 am until 7:00 pm at the Grand Building of the Utah State Fairpark (155 N 1000 W Salt Lake City, UT 84116).

Utah Asian Festival Committee 2024

More details about the 2024 festival coming soon!

Mission and History

In 1978, the Asian Association of Utah board of directors hosted the inaugural Utah Asian Festival at the Salt Palace demonstrating unity in our community and showcasing the wealth of traditions and culture of our Asian American communities through performances, exhibits, and food. The festival was the answer to the board of directors’s goals 1) to unify our diverse Asian American communities consisting of historic ethnic groups (Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, etc) in Utah with our new, incoming refugee populations as a result of the wars in Southeast Asia (Vietnamese, Khmer, Laotian, Hmong, etc); 2) to uplift our communities on a statewide platform because previously, each ethnic organization were hosting their own smaller, ethnic-specific community festivals; and 3)to educate the general public about the diversity, experiences, and contributions of Asian Americans in Utah.

The Utah Asian Festival is a program of the Asian Association of Utah which was formed in September 1977 when late Governor Scott Matheson wanted to relocate Southeast Asian refugees from Camp Pendleton in California to Utah. He founded a small seed grant in creating AAU as a community coalition and nonprofit agency with Jimi Mitsunaga, Joe Azarcon, Chung Myun Lee, and Lang Wong as the initial incorporators. AAU began in serving Southeast Asian refugees and has now expanded to providing services to all refugees and immigrants the state.

Our Vision

Hosting a festival for 22,000+ has significant cost, coordination, and volunteer hours. We continue our tradition of hosting a family-friendly event which is free to all, especially for our new immigrant and refugee Asian communities. While this event is volunteer-driven, additional financial support from sponsors enable us to cover the costs associated with the venue and festival experience, including additional streaming costs, stage expenses, equipment rentals, and children’s activities while also being able to support the 501(c)(3) Asian Association of Utah’s social services to refugees, immigrants, and human trafficking survivors.

Your sponsorship connects you with the fastest growing immigrant demographic in Utah and supports the social services arm of the Asian Association of Utah—a 46-year old non-profit providing wrap-around services to refugees and human trafficking survivors in Utah building self-sufficiency and thriving.

Utah Asian Festival 2024

The Utah Asian Festival has grown to over 22,000 attendees who attend this family-friendly, one-day Festival to discover a diverse array of delectable cuisines from our 30+ food trucks/booths, 70+ booths featuring local artisans, educational cultural booths, Asian-owned businesses, mini health fair, and local nonprofits. And finally, they explore the captivating performance lineup, showcasing an enchanting blend of music, dance, martial arts, and cultural demonstrations.