20 Ways to Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

All across the country, there are lots of things to do to celebrate the impact and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

By: Erin Gifford

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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In 1992 the month of May was designated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by then-President George H. W. Bush. The month has since evolved to become the Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month). The month of May was chosen since it marks two key events, including the arrival of the first-known immigrants from Japan in 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1969, which was built primarily by Chinese immigrants.

There are lots of ways to honor and celebrate the contributions of past and present Asian Americans, including festivals, parades, educational classes, museums, sporting events, walking tours, and even bookstore events. Here are 20 ways that the whole family can celebrate.

Attend an Asian Film Festival

Asian film festivals take place across the country each year in support of Asian and Asian American filmmakers. In May, check out the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival or CAAMFest in San Francisco. Festivals typically include screenings of shorts and feature-length films, as well as classic films and current releases. Some include panels and workshops with actors and directors. Alternatively, you can also settle in on the couch at home to watch an Asian-led cast in the raucous Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once, which also spotlights the Asian immigrant experience within its comic trappings.

Visit an Asian History or Heritage Museum

There are heritage sites dedicated to specific buildings and historic districts, as well as heritage museums that offer more history and stories. One to check out is the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, which is home to artifacts, structures and photographs designed to preserve and share the history of Japanese Americans. This museum grew out of a movement by a group of Japanese American World War II veterans who were eager to preserve their legacy. In New York, the Museum of Chinese in America educates visitors on the diverse historical and cultural experiences of Chinese Americans.

Explore Asian Horticulture

Asian horticulture has had a real impact on gardening and landscaping in the United States. Popular ornamental plants native to Asia include bamboo, cherry trees and Japanese maples. In spring, seek out bright pink blossoms on Japanese cherry trees. Top spots for bloom-seekers include the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, the Quad at the University of Washington in Seattle, and the Japanese Tea Garden inside San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Bonsai, the Japanese art of growing and sculpting miniature trees, is also a must-see at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington, DC, and the Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way, Washington.

Visit an Asian Art Museum

For Asian art and culture, spend time at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. It’s one of the largest museums in the US focused on Asian art. A massive collection spans 6,000 years of Asian history and features more than 18,000 artifacts, artworks, ceramics, textiles and paintings. Look for free guided and self-guided tours of the permanent collection and special exhibitions. The Asia Society Museum in New York City and the Seattle Asian Art Museum are also leaders in presenting the work of Asian artists. Some art museums also have dedicated galleries of Asian art, such as the Denver Art Museum and the South Asian and Himalayan art collections at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia.

Explore Asian-Owned Bookstores

Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month by browsing and shopping at Asian-owned bookstores, such as Yu and Me Books, the first female-owned Asian American bookstore in New York City. Inside you’ll find a carefully curated collection of books that have a focus on immigrant stories. The shop hosts regular book-launch events and readings with Asian American authors. Two others to check out include pop-up Arkipelago Books in San Francisco, which focuses on Filipino specialty books, and Maomi Bookstore, a Chinese bookstore and café near Atlanta. The latter hosts hands-on workshops on such topics as Chinese calligraphy and Taiwanese tea culture.

Sample Asian Street Foods

For a family-friendly evening out of the kitchen, look to Asian street food, including food trucks and night markets, as well as restaurants that focus on street-style cuisine. In Portland, Oregon, Oma’s Hideaway boasts a dining room menu inspired by hawker foods in Singapore and Malaysia. In Cincinnati, the DOPE! Asian Street Fare tempts with exotic street foods like bao buns, ramen, banh mi and dumplings, as well as drinks like Vietnamese iced coffee and jasmine tea. Several US cities host bustling open-air night markets, like 626 Night Market at locations throughout California.

Or simply experience a new Asian foodway at restaurants across the country like O-Ku (with eight locations across the country), where executive chef and culinary director Masatomo “Masa” Hamaya specializes in authentic Japanese dishes like Aburi-style sushi consisting of flame-torched fish on top of rice, and Box-style pressed sushi, one of the oldest forms of sushi, stemming from the ancient method of preserving fish by packing it tightly in boxes with fermented rice. O-Ku Atlanta will feature a special guided, coursed Osusume menu to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month throughout May.

Broaden Your Horizons With New Skills

Learn a new skill or take up a new hobby that got its start in Asia. Take a yoga or tai chi class, learn to make origami, sign up for a sushi-making class, or try your hand at modern calligraphy. Sip & Script hosts in-person calligraphy classes across the country, typically at breweries and wineries. As a bonus, you’ll go home with a starter kit so you can keep up with your new hobby. Asian cooking classes are also popular. Check out Cozymeal for classes that teach how to make sushi rolls, Korean barbecue and poke bowls.

Visit an Asian Heritage Site

There are dozens of heritage sites across the United States, including many operated by the National Park Service. These heritage sites tell stories of the contributions and experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Their stories are shared through historic districts, one-time schools, community museums, sailing ships, and immigration stations. Among them are the Filipino Community Cultural Center at Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in California and the Granada Relocation Center, a former Japanese internment camp, at Amache National Historic Site in Colorado.

Explore a Historic District

Many major cities have historic districts, like Chinatown, Japantown and Little Korea. These ethnic enclaves bustle with Asian food markets, noodle shops, religious temples, cultural centers and art galleries, as well as trendy bars and residential spaces. These historic districts are wonderful places to wander and take in classic architectural styles and features, like ornate gates, paper sliding doors and pagoda-style roofs. These districts also host festivals and events year-round to celebrate culture and heritage, such as Lunar New Year celebrations and Obon festivals.

Visit a Teahouse or Tea Garden

Inviting Asian-style gardens lure in visitors with serene water features, like ponds, waterfalls and streams, as well as footbridges, pagodas and rock gardens. Some have teahouses where visitors can relax and soak in the garden’s scenery while watching brightly colored koi fish swim in small ponds. In Portland, Oregon, the Lan Su Chinese Garden wows visitors with ornate stonework, native plants and a teahouse that has teas, as well as tea snacks like mooncakes, almond cookies and candied mango slices. In San Francisco, the iconic Japanese Tea Garden was completely restored in 2022. It is among the oldest public Japanese gardens in the United States.

Get to Know a New Sport

Get to know a sport that is unique to Asia, like Sepak Takraw (kind of like volleyball, but using feet instead of hands), which is popular in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Or, look to a sport with widespread popularity, like cricket, which dominates in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In the United States, cricket may not be as well known as soccer or baseball, but thanks to Major League Cricket, six new teams are coming to America in 2023.

Take a Walking Food Tour

Walking and cycling food tours allow visitors to experience a new destination, as well as delve into the legacy of the Asian American community. They’re also a great way to sample local cuisine, then burn off calories in between flavorful stops. Many Chinatown historic districts have food tours in which guides make stops for dim sum, soup dumplings and noodles. See the sights, hear the stories and sample delicious foods. Check out Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours in San Francisco. Or, create your own food tour along Atlanta’s Buford Highway, which has more than 125 international restaurants along a seven-mile stretch.

Attend an Asian Cultural Festival

Family-friendly festivals allow you to experience the culture of various AAPI communities across the country. In Washington, DC, the National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the first gift of blossoming cherry trees given to the US by Japan every March, but in time for AAPI Heritage Month, look for the DC Dragon Boat Festival in late May, which celebrates ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan. Two more to check out in May include the Sarasota International Dragon Boat Festival in Florida and the Acworth-Cobb Dragon Boat Festival in Georgia.

Take Part in a Special Tradition

In May you can celebrate Hindu Heritage Day. This day often includes music and performances, as well as traditional foods, like samosas (savory triangular pastries) and chivda (a spicy dish made with fried lentils).

Visit an Asian American Cultural Center

Cultural centers educate on and celebrate Asian-American culture. Many are located at universities, such as the Asian Cultural Engagement Center at Virginia Tech and the Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University in Maryland. The Asian American Cultural Center in Austin, Texas, offers a variety of classes, including language, dance, cooking and arts, like calligraphy and origami. Another to check out is the Hmong American Center in Wausau, Wisconsin, for presentations and festivals on the history and culture of this lesser-known ethnic community.

Seek Out Asian American Music

A growing mix of Asian artists, particularly K-pop bands like BTS and Blackpink, is fueling the popularity of diverse acts in the US. K-Play Fest compiles an event calendar, including concerts in May with such talents as Hong Kong’s Jackson Wang and South Korean girl group Mamamoo. Or check out playlists created especially for AAPI Heritage Month by Apple Music and singer-songwriter Jennifer Chung's Spotify AAPI playlist.

Attend a Parade

Parades are a popular way to mark Asian American holidays and celebrations. In Washington, DC, the Fiesta Asia Street Fair in May features heritage parades and cultural performances, as well as martial arts demonstrations. Get a head start on AAPI Heritage Month parades by celebrating the Lunar New Year in February. Many cities with large Asian American communities host parades with colorful parade floats, lion and dragon dances, and martial arts displays.

Engage With Contemporary Asian Artists

Plenty of works of art have been created by Asian artists that date back thousands of years. But you’ll find lots of modern art being created by Asian American artists, too. First-generation Asian American street artist Victor Ving of Greetings Tour creates vibrant murals, often focused on the nostalgia of travel. Graffiti USA also makes Asian graffiti artists available for hire, often creating works to advance the rich culture of the local Asian community. In New York, the Asian American Arts Alliance works to strengthen the Asian American artists' community. A community calendar on the website shares Asian American art events across town.

Take a Historic Walking Tour

Historical walking tours in cities across the United States allow for amplification of the Asian American community. In New York, Mott Street Girls offers a guided 90-minute walking tour through Chinatown. Participants are led through a 160-year history, including what life was like under the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese from emigrating to America for more than 60 years. In Seattle, the Wing Luke Museum has a walking tour of Japantown (Nihonmachi) that takes visitors from the early 1900s to the present day. Participants learn how the area was impacted by Pearl Harbor and Japanese internment camps.

Watch an Asian American Theater Production

In 2022 the musical KPOP introduced theater audiences to the first musical about Korean pop culture featuring songs by the first Asian female composer on Broadway. The production has since ended its run, but there are a number of opportunities to see Asian American theater productions. In Los Angeles, East West Players works to raise the visibility of the Asian American experience by developing actors and directors of color, and by presenting Asian American stories through theater, including On This Side of the World, which gives a voice to Filipino immigrants. In New York, the National Asian American Theatre Company features well-known productions, like Romeo and Juliet, with an all-Asian cast.

20 Ways to Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Related To:

Shop This Look

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Attend an Asian Film Festival

Visit an Asian History or Heritage Museum

Explore Asian Horticulture

Visit an Asian Art Museum

Explore Asian-Owned Bookstores

Sample Asian Street Foods

Broaden Your Horizons With New Skills

Visit an Asian Heritage Site

Explore a Historic District

Visit a Teahouse or Tea Garden

Get to Know a New Sport

Take a Walking Food Tour

Attend an Asian Cultural Festival

Take Part in a Special Tradition

Visit an Asian American Cultural Center

Seek Out Asian American Music

Attend a Parade

Engage With Contemporary Asian Artists

Take a Historic Walking Tour

Watch an Asian American Theater Production

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