LONG BEACH — Delve into the arts, cuisines, cultures, and marine environments of Asia during the Aquarium of the Pacific’s 11th annual Autumn Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3-4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Autumn Festival highlights the traditions and cultures of Japan, China, Korea, and the Philippines through a weekend of learning opportunities and family entertainment celebrating the rich diversity of Asian and Asian American cultures.
The festival will feature traditional crafts, music, dance, demonstrations, cultural arts exhibits, ethnic cuisine, storytelling, and much more. Move to the sounds of taiko drumming, watch dancers, acrobats, and martial arts demonstrations. Try your hand at origami, and purchase hand-made crafts.
Performers include:
• Art Nakane’s One-Man Band, Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., Shark Lagoon
• Hikari Taiko, Saturday, 12:55 p.m., Honda Blue Cavern
• Kotobuki no Kai (Japanese folk dance), Saturday, 1:40 p.m., Honda Blue Cavern
• Awa Odori Tokushima Ren (Japanese dance), Saturday, 4 p.m., Honda Blue Cavern
• Daion Taiko, Sunday, 2:30 p.m., Honda Blue Cavern
• Fujima Seiyumi Kai (Japanese classical dance), Sunday, 4 p.m., Honda Blue Cavern
Demonstrations and exhibits in the Great Hall include sumie-e, calligraphy, and a display about a wedding dress that has been handed down from generation to generation since World War II by a Japanese American family.
Crafts for children of all ages in the Great Hall include Origami Magic – Have Paper Will Travel with Michael Sanders, Oceans Origami Paper Shapers with Joy Nishijima, and fish kites and origami fish by WOW! Productions.
The Café Scuba festival menu will include white miso soup with grilled tofu, and yakitori chicken.
A Heritage Award presentation will take place on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. in the Honda Blue Cavern.
General admission is required, but there is no additional charge for the festival. The aquarium is located at 100 Aquarium Way in Long Beach. For more information, visit www.aquariumofpacific.org.