Bristol festival showcases East and South East Asian art

Bristol’s first ever East & South East Asian (ESEA) arts and culture festival is taking place this weekend.

MOON FEST will be held at art centre the Arnolfini on September 10, to coincide with ESEA Heritage Month, and will feature music performances, short film screenings, arts and crafts.

It is said to be inspired by traditional ESEA events such as Mid-Autumn Festival, Chuseok, Tsukimi, Tết Trung Thu and Uposatha of Ashvini.

The festival has been created by Monica Wat, founder of Made on the Moon, a production collective that works to support underrepresented groups in music and art.

Wat says she hopes the festival will lead to more ESEA representation.

“That’s the core of it. If we could help ESEA creatives and communities in more ways, that would be amazing. 

“I think cultural appropriation is quite common in the UK so I really wanted to bring MOONFEST to the wider community of Bristol in order to come together and to shine – we are visible, talented and diverse.”