On the weekend of September 27 and September 28, the Pandafest came to Hartford, Connecticut, the festival’s first-ever appearance in the state of Connecticut.
The Pandafest itself is one of America’s largest outdoor food festivals, celebrating Asian culture and traditions. The event boasts tasting, market fairs, and experimental activities, all of which display the beautiful culture, food, and art from Asia.
The venue was at Hartford’s Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, and it had a multitude of Asian food stands, as well as merchandise vendors, for its patrons to choose from.
Staff and students alike at South Windsor High School had the pleasure of visiting the Pandafest over the weekend, immersing themselves in the festival’s celebration of Asian culture.
South Windsor instructional coach Dalena Nguyen was one staff member at South Windsor High School that attended the venue.
“This was the first time there was an Asian food festival in the Hartford region and I don’t think they expected so many people to go! It was a lot bigger than I imagined and it was so nice to see people of all ages and races participating,” Nguyen said.
A major aspect of the Pandafest was its Asian food options, which Nguyen indulged in.
“I wanted to support the Asian American community in Connecticut and also eat some of the foods that’s harder to find regularly in Connecticut or the Greater Hartford Region. Getting fresh off the grill takoyaki and freshly pressed sugarcane juice is a treat,” Nguyen told The Prowl.
There was also a stage at the festival where patrons could watch performances, a feature that South Windsor High School sophomore Pranav Paulraj enjoyed.
“My favorite part of the festival was the performances that happened on the stage…They had activities like watching people sing and perform traditional Chinese martial arts,” Paulraj commented.
While the festival’s many food options and lively performances were commendable, numerous individuals found that the event was too crowded, parking was limited, and it was overall not very inclusive of its visitors.
“The location was not ideal because the Riverfront doesn’t offer a lot of parking in that area. Additionally, the space has a lot of stairs and but few elevators so families with strollers or people with disabilities had a difficult time traveling to all the vendor spaces,” Nguyen said.
Some even commented on the cost of the venue, including freshman Daniel Zhang.
“It was way too crowded, and food and the products and the tickets in general were way more expensive,” Zhang said.
Crowding was a consistent theme among complaints regarding the festival.
“It was very crowded, unorganized, and definitely had spirit to it, but it was very disorganized and it should have taken more time to be planned,” Zhang commented.
While the Pandafest had its faults, the great celebration of Asian culture that it brought to Hartford, and the many visitors it immersed into that culture, cannot be overstated. As the Pandafest departed from Hartford, it left behind a city full of Asian pride, eagerly looking forward to future festivals.
