Chinatown Arts Festival 2025… coming this October!
This October, Chinatown Arts Festival returns for the eighth year for a jam packed month of exciting cultural programs featuring traditional Chinese arts groups along with emerging Asian American artists. Scroll down to take a first look at the 2025 Festival program list. Meanwhile… enjoy a look back at last year’s festival highlights.
Save the Dates!
Stay tuned for more info…but for now, mark your calendars. Note, events demarked with * will require reservations/tickets.
[Sun 10/5] 2-6pm
Chinatown Arts Festival Opening Block Party
with Chinatown Records & Friends
[Tue 10/7] 6:30 – 7:30pm
Garden Concert: Trio from Chinese Music Ensemble
[Sat 10/11] —Get your tickets!
Afternoon Tea: Mid-Autumn Edition*
[Session 1]: 1:00 – 2:30pm
[Session 2]: 3:30 – 5:00pm
[Sun, 10/12] 11-12:30pm —Get your tickets!
Mid-Autumn Festival: Family Program at Tenement Museum*
[Tues 10/14] 7-8:30pm
Memories from Golden Song: Living Room Listening with Chinatown Records*
[Thurs 10/16] 6:30-8pm
"Our Journeys" Story Slam w/ Vietnamese Boat People*
[Sat 10/18] 1-3pm
Open House at Think!Chinatown’s Studio
[Sat 10/18] 5-6:30pm
Autumn Renewal: Breath, Sound & Herbs w/ Kamwo Meridian*
[Sun 10/19] 1-4pm
Puppets on Pell
[Mon 10/20] 7-8:30pm
Chinatown Modern Dance Legacies: Hsueh Tung Chen*
[Wed 10/22] 6:30-8:30pm
Disciples of the Pear Garden: NYC Cantonese Opera Histories*
[Sat 10/25]
PÀO PÀO: A Fermentation Make & Taste Workshop*
[Session 1]: 11:00am–12:30pm
[Session 2]: 2:30–4:00pm
[Sun 10/26] 5:30-8pm
Chinatown Arts Festival Finale: Musical Showcase + MOONSquare Celebration*
Call for Artist, Musicians & Storytellers
We’re bringing a month of art, music, and storytelling to the neighborhood, and we’d love for you to be part of it. Check out the open calls to see how you can join in this year’s celebration, or share with an artist you’d like to spotlight.
Past Arts Festivals
Chinatown Arts Festival celebrates the cultural richness of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Led by festival curators Yin Kong and Amy Chin, the Festival features programs produced by Think!Chinatown while highlighting cultural events hosted by other Chinatown organizations. By presenting grassroots Chinatown artists and emerging Asian American artists in context and dialogue with each other, we can bring multiple generations together and connect with a wider arts audience. The festival also highlights cultural happenings presented by our neighbors to increase awareness of Chinatown’s cultural assets. Check out videos from previous years!
Think!Chinatown is a place-based intergenerational non-profit in Manhattan’s Chinatown, working at the intersection of storytelling, arts, neighborhood engagement, and creative placekeeping. We believe the process of listening, reflecting and celebrating develops the community cohesion and trust necessary to work on larger neighborhood issues. By building strength from within our neighborhood, we can shape better policies and programs that define our public spaces, celebrate our cultural heritage and innovate how our collective memories are represented. T!C is the team powering the Chinatown Night Market, Chinatown Block Parties, Chinatown Arts Festival, and more.
Chinatown Arts Festival is held on the unceded land of the Lenape peoples. This festival is supported by public funds from the New York City Dept of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Funded in part by a grant from the New York City Tourism Foundation. Think!Chinatown programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional funding is provided by New York City Dept of Small Business Services, Con Edison and many individual friends.
