Festival 8

The 8th Asian American Day Festival took the theme Boundlessness (無邊界). The Asian American Association of Boston (AAAB) marked the year with a cruise-ship press conference, a day on Boston Common, and a closing concert in Lexington.

Cruise press conference — August 24, 2018

On August 24, 2018, the press conference for the 8th AADay was held on a luxury cruise off the Boston waterfront. Lee Song, the director organizing that year’s festival, announced the theme Boundlessness.

Community leaders, elected officials, diplomats, artists, and other guests from Massachusetts attended in formal attire. Speakers included Mark Sullivan, then Director of the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment; Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn; and representatives of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Boston, the Consulate of the Republic of Finland, and the Consulate General of Jamaica. They offered congratulations and looked ahead to the festival.

Boston Common — September 9, 2018

On September 9, the festival was held on Boston Common. Organizers tightened booth and stage management. Dozens of nonprofit groups, neighborhood service businesses, food and drink vendors, and art workshops set up in an orderly way and offered information and services.

According to the organizers’ preliminary count, the Common drew a very large crowd that day. Invited acts included the jazz group Tamblay Jazz Trio, the K-Pop Review Band, and the Massachusetts rock band Exhale. A cheongsam and movement presentation highlighted East Asian elegance; Western instrumental sets carried the same “no borders” theme.

Lexington concert — September 23, 2018

On September 23, the 8th AADay concert was held in Lexington, Massachusetts. Hundreds of listeners shared a “borderless” program that moved between Chinese folk song, traditional dance, Broadway excerpts, modern dance, and electronic bands — a closing night for the 8th festival.

This page is a recap of a festival that has already taken place. It is not an upcoming-event notice.