KILLEEN, Texas — May marks Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! It's a time to celebrate and honor their culture.
In downtown Killeen, there's a festival happening on Saturday, May 4, The Central Texas Asian Pacific Festival, that's celebrating this and more.
This marks the seventh year of the event and it's all to bring the taste of Asian and Pacific cultures to Central Texas.
The festival first started in a small community park and has grown significantly throughout the years.
Organizers tell 6 News they expect to see 7,000-8,000 attendees this year.
The festival was created to share the cultures and traditions through the music and arts of the islands.
Event co-organizer Bonita Jackson says an event like this bridges the gap between those of different ethnicities. It's something she holds close to her heart.
"It makes me proud to share our culture with other people so that they know how much it means to us," Jackson said. "It's like a home away from home."
The event is also to help educate other generations about where they came from, so their culture will never be forgotten.
"It allows families who didn't get to grow up in the islands to actually learn their culture from birth," Jackson explained. "I'm an Islander, and as a child, I grew up in the States, so I didn't get immersed into the culture and be able to know the values, the history, the stories, the meanings, because I wasn't there. This gives us an opportunity for those who were not there to actually know what this is for to give them that history, to give them the knowledge of what they were and where they come from, and that it still exists."
The festival is free and doors open at noon. For more information, click here.
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