Panana Riverside Lunar Festival

The lunar festival was a beautiful day out in downtown. Pretty hot! Had to find some shade while we ate our munchies. Flavorful scents of Asian bbq dishes, noodles, egg rolls and steamed buns. Tastings from several of the vendors was a bountiful lunch. Friendly and welcoming atmosphere as the crowds grew. The streets were sectioned off with food trucks, vendors and center stage with live music and performances. Outdoor seating was hard to find after the tables were full but luckily we found a spot of shaded curb. Walking around the inviting environment and seeing the celebration of a new year was a fun filled day.

A fun time of food truck paradise. Asian flavor tastings and vendors lined the streets around the Cheech Marin Museum. Highlighting the Asian culture and beauty. Aromas from grills bellowed those steamy clouds to draw your attention to their creations. Live performances on the main stage with plenty of tables and chairs to enjoy the sunny California day. Which was a good change from previous years of rain. An eventful day for the community with great food.

This festival was just okay in 2022. I was expecting a lot more cultural presence at this festival. They didn't even have the beautiful strings of Chinese lanterns that they have had in past years! If I didn't see any signs about Lunar New Year, I definitely would have thought it was just any food festival in Downtown Riverside. Though there were cultural performances and a couple cultural vendors, it was primarily just food booths that you could find at 626 Night Market. There were a few Asian food booths: Korean, skewers, dumplings, etc... but I was expecting more Chinese and Vietnamese food booths. Overall, a ton of variety of food though! A lot of Mexican, American, and fair food. If you're going to visit, i would recommend coming to eat.

**January 2022 Visit **With the rise of the Omicron variant many organizations have moved to a virtual format; however, Panana returned to hosting their annual outdoor event in downtown Riverside. Parking ranged from $5-$10 and there were lots of fun entertainment to watch throughout the day. This celebration was a mid-sized one with one long lane of food options and two perpendicular lans of shopping. There were a good assortment of traditional as well as fusion options, but I was somewhat surprised to see such a large non-asian presence. Lots of Mexican and southern cuisine - which I'm not opposed to I was just surprised as I thought there would be more Asian options. I really enjoyed the live entertainment and offerings from the misc booths. My friends and I loved the grilled squid and some desserts that we took to go. Overall, this was a fun free event that the whole family can enjoy.

This is our first year attending this festival being it our first year in Riverside. There was plenty of parking but it was all paid. The city charged between $5 - $10 depending on the parking garage. Usually parking on the weekend is free, so that was a bummer. Besides that, the actual event was great. There were plenty of performances to watch, food to eat, and vendors to buy from. If you got bored, you could also walk around downtown or take a tour of the Mission Inn Museum. We tried food from Shake Ramen and Bred's Nashville Hot Chicken. Both meals were delicious and worth their prices. There was food from many different cultures as well. There was Mexican, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Italian, Jamaican, etc. There was something for everyone. I cannot wait until next year!

Not much celebration of the Lunar Festival. It's more like a Huge Food Truck Festival.Very disappointing.

It's great that the community has events like this to help us make more cultural connections . It was freeee. There were a lot of food trucks , a main stage (singing/dancing), and vendors selling various wares that might not necessarily be based in culture (cell phone stands, flower arrangements). There was an inflatable slide that kids loved and other like activities . It took place on Mission and the nearby side streets.I spun the wheel for Big Al's and won some activity time there.

Appreciated the fact that it's free, but they had mostly Mexican performances and music, and a pretty annoying 16-year-old girl singing random R&B songs. Wouldn't return.

Spectacular Parade of Nations at 10am, Opening ceremonies at 10:45 am, then Traditional Asian Music, Taiko Drums, Dance Performances, Art Displays and Exhibitions of Martial Arts, Anime Cosplayers and a range of Asian themed demonstrations of various kinds conducted by community and professionals group throughout the rest of the day on four stages.-Children's Village for FREE Arts and Crafts-complimentary massages. -authentic Asian food vendors -Teas at the Tea Pavillion*edit..just wanted to 'add the business' * Not sure how many years they've been doin it. Enjoyed last year and I'll be there tomm Jan 25

A random hodge podge of craziness. Booths with everything from handmade items to Wells Fargo and the Fire Department discussing home safety. I love the Tea Pavillions featuring tea and tea customs from different parts of Asia. The kids area has free arts & crafts, a petting zoo, and live entertainment. The food area has many vendors and a couple of food trucks with mostly Asian cuisine. The festival is spread out so its not as crowded as you would think.