Orem Asian Festival brings heritage and family fun to Utah Valley

Every spring in Orem, families and friends gather together for the annual Orem Asian Festival, celebrating Asian culture through historical activities and family fun.

The Orem Asian Festival took place this year on May 9. The festival is run by the Utah Chinese Association. Mary Yang, the associations president, has been putting on the festival for the past five years. She said that the festival has only grown during that time.

"We've had over 400 events. This event gets bigger and bigger every year," Yang said.

Yang said that the festival was open to everyone, especially families.

Games and activities geared toward kids were everywhere, offering options for all-ages fun.

Featuring many vendors, the gathering also offered everything from books that teach Chinese to homemade chicken skewers. Food vendor Jacob busily bustled around his colorful festival booth.

"My wife is Chinese, and we actually lived in China for a couple of years. Her friend is the president of the Chinese association here in Utah, and she asked if we wanted to do a booth, so we said 'Yeah'," he said.

Jacob brought his whole family along to the festival. He and his wife sell freshly made boba drinks and Chinese toys, with their kids cheerfully helping alongside them.

"It's nice to be out here on this beautiful day and having fun serving drinks and having fun with the family," he said.

Siblings Freya and Thor attended other cultural festivals before. Both enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere this one provides.

"There are a lot of things that you can find that can open you to new interests," Freya said.

Her brother Thor enjoyed the relaxed vibe.

"There's like a lot of people here. You've got plenty of stuff to do. " It's overall just kind of nice," he said.