CINCINNATI — Asian Food Fest is returning to downtown Cincinnati this weekend to celebrate its 15th year.
The festival, which celebrates Asian culture and entertainment alongside food, takes place Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, at Court Street Plaza.
According to the festival's website, Asian Food Fest attracted nearly 125,000 attendees last year.
During the two-day event, which is hosted by Asianati, attendees can expect various food trucks and vendors, live music, cultural performances, karaoke and more.
Here is everything you need to know about Asian Food Fest 2026:
Food
Asian Food Fest is offering more than 50 participating food vendors over the course of its two days.
The vendors range in type of Asian cuisine, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Indian, Korean and many more. There are also vegetarian, vegan, halal and kosher options at some restaurants.
Some of the participating restaurants include Lotus Thai & Sushi, Kung Fu Tea, Deme Kitchen, Bridges Nepali Cuisine, The Lumpia Queen and Milk Jar, among others.
There are also secret menus at five of the participating restaurants, according to the festival's website. The secret menus stem from the common practice of an additional "hidden" menu at Asian restaurants that includes more authentic dishes. The five vendors with secret menus are Aloha Dayton, Asianati Youth Program, Chhnagnh, Masala and Smiles 'n Spice.
To get the full list of participating restaurants and their menus, click here.
Entertainment
Over the course of two days, Asian Food Fest is bringing more than 100 performers and entertainers across multiple stages.
The festival will have a main stage, a DJ stage and a Lantern stage. The Main stage is where Court Street intersects with Walnut Street, the DJ stage is on Race Street just south of Court Street and the Lantern stage is where Court Street intersects with Elm Street.
Some of the musicians, bands and DJs attendees can expect are Purple Cakes, Mark Joshua, Ace of Spades, Lokeez, Hi David, Chopstix and more.
There are also other performers showcasing Asian culture, such as Cincinnati Dayton Taiko, an ensemble of Japanese taiko drums, PAMANA Dance Group, which performs traditional Filipino folk dances, and the HuaYi Cincinnati Eastern Moon Dance Group, which performs Chinese classic and ethnic folk dances.
For the first time this year, Asian Food Fest will also have a drag show hosted by Princess Shehzadi featuring Glitz and Bee Jade.
For the full entertainment schedule, click here.
Road closures
Several streets around Court Street Plaza will be shut down for Asian Food Fest. Closures begin Thursday at 6 p.m. and run until Monday at 7 a.m.
Streets experiencing closures are:
- Court Street between Walnut and Elm streets
- Race Street between Central Parkway and Ninth Street
- Vine Street between Central Parkway and Ninth Street
Businesses along the streets with closures will still be open during normal business hours.
Parking
If you plan on heading down to Asian Food Fest, there are several parking options surrounding Court Street Plaza. Despite this, festival organizers encourage attendees to carpool and use public transportation due to the anticipated traffic.
For more information about Asian Food Fest 2026, click here.
