The Aquarium of the Pacific Hosts Its Annual International Children’s Festival This Weekend
The Aquarium of the Pacific will be hosting its 17th annual International Children’s Festival this weekend.
The festival will run from March 19-20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be many different shows and events featured in the Great Hall and Honda Pacific Visions Theater such as Hawaiian, Korean and Irish dancing. Guests can also enjoy West African drumming, a martial arts display, and a meet and greet with the Pacific Pal Puppets. There will also be an interactive drum circle that guests can participate in
The Aquarium does a range of cultural festivals throughout the year but the International Children’s Festival is different. It doesn’t just focus on one culture but is a celebration of children from cultures around the world.
This annual event is part of the Aquarium’s dedication to conserving and building nature services. They want to complete that mission by promoting interactions between people.
“We believe that the only way we are going to help the environment that we live in is by bringing people together and working towards that,” said Chelsey Coleman, community events manager for the Aquarium of the Pacific.
The International Children’s Festival is also an awards ceremony that presents one special child with the Young Hero Award.
Each year the Aquarium presents the Young Hero Award to a young person in recognition of their outstanding achievements in helping the planet and serving the community. The winner of this year’s award is Arrim Jung, who is being recognized for her academic achievements, time spent involved in community service, and her volunteer work at the Aquarium. Jung has served as an exhibit interpreter, VolunTEEN mentor, and member of the Teen Climate Council.
A live stream of the Hawaiian dance group Halau Na Lehua I Ka Ua Noe will begin at 2:30 p.m. There will also be a special performance on Sunday led by the Polytechnic Highschool symphony called Project Current Sea. It will feature a spoken word component and a performance by the high school orchestra.
The festival is included with general admission which is $36.95 for ages 12 and older, $26.95 for ages 3 to 11, $33.95 for ages 62 and above, and free for Aquarium members and children under age three.
For more information on this event, please call The Aquarium of the Pacific at (562) 590-3100 or visit the aquarium website here.
By Nick Vargas
Photos from the Aquarium of the Pacific