National Asian food & culture festival arrives at Portland Waterfront Park
Portland goes to the pandas! Portland Cider Co. debuts Red Panda Cider, and national touring Asian food & drink festival Panda Fest takes over the waterfront September 11-13th.
Portland has one more month to get ready for Panda Fest, an Asian food and culture festival making its Oregon debut September 11-13 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The three-day festival will bring together local Portland-area food vendors and national food purveyors offering visitors a chance to taste everything from viral food trends to hard-to-find Asian street foods.
WHAT: Panda Fest — Asian Food & Culture Festival
Local restaurant spotlight: Yoonique Pho & Grill: Co-owner Cindy Phan serves family recipes and cuisine from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This is the sister restaurant to Yoonique Tea pairing street food with tea drinks (dishes like bun nem chua, or cured sour beef)
Festival food must-haves: Flintstone-sized roasted bone marrow served with toast, from Project Bone Marrow from Washington, King Squid’s whole giant grilled squid on a stick, TJ Big Pan’s Omurice (Japanese Fried Rice) and other Asian street foods.
WHEN:
Friday, September 11 from 4p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday, September 12 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday, September 13 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Tom McCall Waterfront Park (98 SW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR 97204)
TICKETS ON-SALE: Visit www.pandafests.com.
ABOUT PANDA FEST
Launched in 2024, Panda Fest is one of the largest outdoor Asian food and culture festivals in the United States. In its first year alone, the festival produced 13 events across 11 cities, welcoming over 500,000 attendees, with attendance continuing to grow. Featuring experiential activities, tastings, market fairs, and live performances, Panda Fest brings communities together to celebrate the richness of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures.
Portland Cider Co. is welcoming the Oregon Zoo’s two new red pandas with a special-edition release of Pacific Berry featuring playful red panda artwork. The limited release is part of the cidery’s fourth annual summer partnership with the Oregon Zoo Foundation, giving cider fans a delicious way to support wildlife throughout July and August.
Pacific Berry is a luscious blend of Northwest-grown marionberries, raspberries, and apples. Jam-packed with juicy berry flavor and vibrant aromatics, the 6.5% ABV cider is refreshing and balanced, with just the right combination of sweet and tart.
During the two-month campaign, a portion of proceeds from every Portland Cider 4- or 6-pack sold at participating retailers across Oregon and Southwest Washington will be donated to the Oregon Zoo Foundation. The funds will help provide extraordinary daily care for animals at the zoo while supporting species-saving conservation efforts in the Pacific Northwest and around the world.
The special-edition Pacific Berry is available in four-packs of 16-ounce cans at the Oregon Zoo and select retailers throughout the Portland Metro area, while supplies last. A portion of proceeds from Pacific Berry supports animals at the Oregon Zoo and in the wild.