Oceanside is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month a little early with the inauguration of a cultural event.
The first ever Southern California Asian and Pacific Islander Festival is happening Saturday, April 29, at the Oceanside Civic Center.
With over 20 Asian and Pacific Islander cultures being represented during the community event, organizers say there’s definitely new things to learn.
"Not everybody understands what happens with our culture, sometimes they do know the food and they do know some of our performances, but we wanted to enhance that and give an opportunity for those that don't know, to be able to be educated," said Kevin Shin, the owner of the Switchboard and KNVS restaurants in downtown Oceanside.
After the city was named one of California’s 14 Cultural Districts, Shin knew it was the right place for the celebration and helped organize the festivities.
He worked with Umeke, a non profit organization dedicated to the education of Hawaiian culture.
"It's such a beautiful thing to be able to showcase the diversity that we really do have and highlighting all of the different cultures that we have in North County," said Ilima Martinez, the founder of Umeke.
She co-directed the festival and is also a hula instructor at Kūhai Hālau O ʻIlima Pā ʻŌlapa Kahiko (KHOI).
Her hula school will be a part of the event entertainment.
But the festival isn’t limited to North County. Partners from all over San Diego will be joining.
Like JJ Jones, the head instructor of Honu Sumo in City Heights.
He says that when it comes to sumo wrestling, there’s some misconceptions he hopes to unveil.
"There are women, there are weight divisions and I just want to educate to make sure that the art and the sport are celebrated," Jones said.
And that’s the focus of the event, to educate the wider community.
"Its literally all the different martial arts, all the different styles of dancing, all the different languages and games," Jones said. "So if you have children, bring them to this free event where they can learn about cultures from around the world."
The event will be held at the Oceanside Civic Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
