Fiesta Asia

The panda mascot high fives some delighted children. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The representatives of the Tibetan Association wear traditional outfits as they march down Pennsylvania Avenue. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Traditional cultural organizations weren't the only ones being represented. The D.C. Anime Club also joined the parade, sporting costumes of anime characters from One Piece, Mario and Naruto. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The D.C. Anime Club members wave to the crowd. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The Taiwanese Association brought a more traditional representation to the parade. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The parade also saw the traditional lion dance, which features two performers mimicking the movements of a lion. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Miss Teen Philippines America brought a slew of young children paired up and in pageantry garb to represent the Philippines. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The pairs of young paraders march by, carrying umbrellas and papier-mache animals. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The pairings get older as the procession moves along. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The more traditional side of the Filipino congregation pose for the onlookers. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The embassy of Nepal, decked out in saris, stop to pose for the cameras. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The U.S. Coastal Area Tibetan Association were also fairly new additions to the parade, bringing a large and colorful group of performers. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

A food vendor cooks up some Pad Thai for hungry festival-goers. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Fiesta Asia held its first "Emerging Stars" contest, which featured amateur singers, dancers and performers. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

A panel of judges observe the contestants for the amateur talent competition. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Despite the heavy rain that day, many people still made it out to the street festival, watching performances under umbrellas or rain coats. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

A Tibetan stall offers hand-crafted wooden figures and bowls. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Drummers and percussionists accompanied the martial arts demonstrations that took place at the Martial Arts Demo stage. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Members of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy demonstrated their martial arts skills at the center of the festival. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

A ceremonial lion dancer rests as the martial arts demonstrators switch out. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

At the Rhythmic West stage, modern musical acts such as rock bands and rappers, performed for the festival. Most of the bands were booked by Kollaboration D.C., a partner organization with the Asia Heritage Foundation that focuses on bringing attention to Asian American musical and dance acts. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Some of the crafts on display were incredibly elaborate and extensive. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

(WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

Fiesta Asia was held on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 6th Streets. A panda mascot waves to onlookers and offers free hugs at the Kid's Zone. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The festival featured a host of cultural performances and acts, including the Raks Fiesta Stage, which featured Middle Eastern styles, such as belly dancing. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The Raks Fiesta Asia Stage featured a variety of artists and performers, such as the Al Massraweya Troupe, Alexia, Asala Bellydance Artist, Groove Merchant, Liz Slaterbeck, Serendipity Tribal, Shadiyah, Sha'vei, The Calmes Triplets and Zaira al Zahara. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Onlookers, many of them dressed in cultural garb as well, watched the performances under their umbrellas to protect themselves from the day's rainy weather. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Attendees of the street festival could sample and buy a variety of cultural food, from Cambodian curry to Pad Thai. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The Interactive Zone at the street festival offered attendees everything from Bollywood dance lessons, Hawaiian hula dance lessons and Indian folk dance lessons. Here, a volunteer teaches people about the Filipino Tinikling Bamboo dance. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

A volunteer at Fiesta Asia poses with a parrot that one of the performers brought in. As a nonprofit organization, the Asia Heritage Foundation relied on the support of volunteers and sponsors to hold the event. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The "Kiddiz Cool Zone" offered kids a variety of arts and crafts activities, such as fan making, origami, lantern making and henna. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

A food vendor grills pieces of chicken and pork for the festival attendees. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Some festival attendees eschewed traditional cultural outfits in favor of modern costumes, such as this anime-inspired schoolgirl outfit. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

A parade participant checks his phone before the culture parade starts. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Stalls sold various cultural products, from handmade crafts to souvenirs for tourists. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

Several countries had stalls to represent them, such as the Japanese culture booth, which educated visitors on Japanese culture and practices. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

This stall featured tiny statuettes of Buddha, as well as traditional Indian quilts and books. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui

The cultural parade gave different countries' teams the opportunity to win the "Best in Show" award, for the most extravagant display of cultural pride. (WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui)

WTOP/Hoai-Tran Bui