Towson Town Center Hosts Baltimore AAPI Festival

5/31/2025 - Towson, MD. On May 31, the Towson Town Center continued its decades-long role as “Towson’s community town square by hosting the Baltimore AAPI Festival. The Chinese American Parents Association of the Baltimore Community (CAPA-BC) organized the event.

The Association is a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to addressing the unique needs of the growing and diverse AAPI community in Baltimore. Shuli Xia, Founder and President of CAPA-BC, commented on the day’s event, “We have invited many performance teams from the AAPI community, and we are glad to share their rich histories.”

Numerous VIP’s from the community participated in the Festival. Dr. Yang YU, Chairperson of the Governor’s Office on Asian Pacific American Affairs and Baltimore County’s own Ya Ma, Language Access Coordinator, delivered the Welcoming Remarks.

The Dulaney High School Chinese Dragon Team opened the festivities and was joined by performance groups from Perry Hall High School, the Tan Le Montessori School, and many others. Throughout the day, the rich cultures of China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, and Nepal were celebrated.

President George H. W. Bush designated May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in 1992. The annual celebration honors the many contributions and accomplishments of Asian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans, and Native Hawaiians. May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. This tremendous accomplishment, which joined our country together, was made possible by the sacrifices of the thousands of Chinese immigrants who laid the tracks through the western deserts and mountains.

These rich and vital cultural events attract visitors and stimulate economic activity in Towson’s downtown district. The Towson community appreciates the efforts of CAPA-BC and Towson Town Center to help continue Towson’s role as the cultural center of Baltimore County.