ASU's CultureFest Celebrates Asian and Asian Pacific American Heritage

Annual event showcases diverse student performances and cultural traditions

Apr. 5, 2026 at 4:35pm

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Over 1,300 people attended Arizona State University's annual CultureFest, an event hosted by the Asian/Asian Pacific American Students' Coalition to celebrate Asian and Asian Pacific American culture and heritage on campus. The festival featured a blend of modern music and traditional dancing performances by student groups, as well as cultural displays and activities.

Why it matters

CultureFest provides an important platform for ASU's Asian and Asian Pacific American students to share their diverse cultural traditions and experiences with the broader campus community. The event helps promote inclusivity and celebrate the university's diversity.

The details

CultureFest, originally named Culture Night until 2023, has been an annual tradition at ASU for years. This year's event featured about a dozen performance groups, including student bands and cultural organizations. The festival also showcased traditional dances from across Asian cultures, such as the Filipino folk dance Tinikling. In addition to the performances, the event included cultural displays and activities for attendees.

  • CultureFest has been an annual event at ASU since the early 2000s.
  • The 2026 CultureFest took place on April 5, 2026.

The players

Maya Bustos

A freshman studying global politics and an intern for the Asian/Asian Pacific American Students' Coalition, which hosts CultureFest.

Abhi Kathuria

An international student from India who performed at CultureFest.

Hannah Perlas

A sophomore studying biomedical sciences who performed the traditional Filipino folk dance Tinikling at CultureFest.

Jeebesh Shrestha

The guitarist for the student band Babytees, who performed at CultureFest.

Asian/Asian Pacific American Students' Coalition (AAPASC)

The student organization that hosts the annual CultureFest event at ASU.

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What they’re saying

“The whole idea behind celebrating CultureFest is to help celebrate Asian, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which is originally a month dedicated to celebrating AAPI heritage in May. However, due to time constraints here at ASU and with our May schooling being cut down so soon, we use the festival to help celebrate it in that way, as well as to uplift a lot of our AAPI community here on campus.”

— Maya Bustos, Freshman studying global politics and intern for AAPASC

“It's a lot of fun to be able to display our culture and what is one of the most defining characteristics of being Filipino. We love showing off what our culture and ethnicity has to offer.”

— Hannah Perlas, Sophomore studying biomedical sciences

“There's a power in diversity of thought and that with every single different person, there's a different experience then a different story behind them, and each one of those stories helps to formulate something greater than just us.”

— Maya Bustos, Freshman studying global politics and intern for AAPASC

What’s next

The Asian/Asian Pacific American Students' Coalition is already planning for next year's CultureFest, which will take place in April 2027.

The takeaway

CultureFest provides a valuable opportunity for ASU's Asian and Asian Pacific American students to share their diverse cultural traditions and experiences with the broader campus community. The event helps foster a more inclusive and celebratory environment for students of all backgrounds.