A line made its way around Carpenter Park for what seemed like a whole city block. Cars were swerving and scrambling, desperately trying to find a parking space, and all the while, security methodically analyzed everyone’s tickets and personal handbags. From the line, it was hard to peer above the chain-link fence and see what was going on, but it wasn’t hard to anticipate how ecstatic the celebration on the other side was going to be. This was Panda Fest.
Panda Fest, founded in 2024 by BiuBiu Xu, is a festival centered around celebrating and introducing people to the East Asian cultural experience, mostly through cuisine. What started originally a one-day festival in New York morphed into organized a tour across the U.S., stopping over in Dallas from Nov. 7 to 9. In addition to an eclectic, fascinating selection of food stands, the event also featured live music from local artists, caricature art, souvenirs, outdoor games and clothing from East Asia.
Walking through the grand domed entrance, Panda Fest came off surprisingly quaint. Throughout the festival, from setup to the evening festivities, the festival never found itself too crowded. There was instead a healthy, relaxing variety of ambience and stands that was the perfect amount of lively. Cars occasionally sped down the highway right next to the festival. Families huddled around the tables, each chatting, chewing on baozi — which are steamed buns with filling — and sipping ube tea, a sweet tea with vanilla-coconut notes. Young couples promenaded along the walkway holding hands, taking a breather and patiently waiting for the sun to set. Vendors were fastidiously preparing food and gracefully attending to curious customers. Children ran around and played games with each other, gazing at the kimono stand every now and then in awe.
There was instead a healthy, relaxing variety of ambience and stands that was the perfect amount of lively.
I went to a beverage stand by the name of Panda Paws Cafe to quench my thirst. They were selling a medley of teas, sodas and milkshakes. They had a good variety of flavors as well, like ube and matcha. I ordered a Japanese cream soda, which was nothing short of sublime. The best part about it was the texture. The cream they used was so rich, which created a beautiful dyad with the rest of the soda and, taste-wise, it was a compelling combination of light, fruity soda and luscious, creamer-flavored cream.
The food was the most anticipated and advertised part of the festival, so I wasn’t surprised to find it was as excellent as it was cracked up to be. With a simple stroll around, one could partake in a wide variety of different countries’ cuisines, from Chinese to Japanese to even Mongolian and Khmer food. I went to two food stands; the first one, YU KUN Sesame Cake, made meat pockets while the other, King Squid, made grilled squid. At the meat pocket stand, I ordered the classic pork pocket which was about $10 and worth every dollar. They gave the pocket in this storied brown wrapper akin to the 24-hour kebab stands in Vienna, establishing a cultural connection beyond Asia. As great as the pocket tasted, it was the man taking my order that truly sold the experience. He was so energetic and had this infectious demeanor about him. You could tell he was thrilled to be at the festival and proud of the food he shared with people.
At King Squid, I ordered two mini-squids for $15. Never having tried squid before, I didn’t quite know what to expect but that didn’t stop me. I was open to the unknown, to expanding my horizons. Worst case scenario, I wouldn’t have gelled with the taste, but even that couldn’t negate the fact that I had embarked on a novel experience and learned more about who I am. Sinking my teeth into the squid, it felt firm and chewy. I believe this is how squid is supposed to be, but since I only tried it that day, I don’t really have a benchmark. I didn’t mind the texture. In fact, I was intrigued by it. It helped that the seasoning that they put on the squid was a perfect blend of spice and savoriness.
When the sun set, I walked towards the exit, stepped up on a large hill and recuperated, gazing at the majestic Dallas skyline to my right and the entirety of the festival to my left. I was satisfied with the wonderful food and people, but even more so with the fact that I had gone and experienced something truly unique, which was the greatest strength that Panda Fest had to offer.