This New York-based Asian festival is Philly’s most exciting food event. It returns this October.
Panda Fest will have tanghulu candied fruits, banana pudding matcha, and panda mascots for a two-day event. Here’s how to get tickets.
Devour tanghulu candied fruits, squid skewers, and dumplings galore. Sip lychee juice, mango smoothies, and banana pudding matcha lattes. Snap selfies wearing panda merch and hang with panda mascots in Dilworth Park.
Panda Fest returns to Center City on Oct. 4 and 5. The two-day event runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
The event is a spin-off of New York’s Dragon Fest, an annual outdoor Chinese food and culture festival. Founder Xuan (BiuBiu) Xu launched the festival in five major cities, including Philadelphia in April, drawing a combined 250,000 attendees.
Xu decided to bring Panda Fest back to Philadelphia and Atlanta for fall events, which includes more than 60 Asian food vendors, over 100 types of street food, and culture performances.
“We received a lot of feedback from a ton of people, and we’re looking to improve upon everything this time around, and we’re going to have more vendors and more food and drink options for the whole family,” Xu said in a statement. “We have been working side by side with the City of Philadelphia to ensure we have additional capacity during this event, and we’re looking forward for another incredible weekend in The City of Brotherly Love.”
Tickets go on sale Aug. 8 at 10 a.m. The first 100 tickets for each time slot are $10. General admission is $14, and VIP tickets are $25. All tickets include a custom panda pin with a Philly feature and an inflatable headband. VIP admission also comes with a panda tote bag and skip-the-line entrance.
Purchase tickets online for this family-friendly event.
“Philadelphia welcomed us with open arms this past spring, and we couldn’t be more excited to return for a fall Panda Fest in this incredible city,” Xu said.