Saturday, September 20, 2025
11am-9pm
Sunday, September 21, 2025
10am-7pm
New Century
517 Neversink Drive, Port Jervis, NY 12771
FREE ADMISSION $5 Parking
What to expect at the moon Festival 2025
- Over 20,000 Visitors
- 200+ market vendors featuring handmade goods, art, clothing, and cultural keepsakes
- Asian Street Food from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines & International Food Vendors
- Dragon and Lion Dancing
- Live Traditional Music (Erhu & Pipa), Folk Songs
- Classical Chinese Dance
- Nighttime Lantern Displays: Immersive light installations with cultural symbolism
- Inflatable Playground & Kids DIY Crafts
- Try On Ancient Chinese Clothing at the Photo Booth
- Ancient Chinese Village With Unique Culture display
- Community Engagement: Local schools, nonprofits, and cultural groups participate
- Photo ops with Chang’e, the Moon Goddess
Reviews:
“The Moon Festival is filled with delicious food, legends and festivities!”
- 3 Musketeers, Professional Dancers & Influencers
“The Moon Festival offers a wonderful experience for the whole family with fantastic performances, and a variety of local vendors.”Â
- Melissa S, Vendor
“This is the best Asian food and cultural festival I’ve ever been to!”
- Amy X, Guest
The Largest Asian Food and Culture Festival in the Hudson Valley
The 10th Annual Moon Festival in Orange County, NY is the largest Asian culture and food festival in the Hudson Valley, celebrating one of Asia’s most revered holidays with music, food, and community.Â
Like Thanksgiving in America, the Moon Festival is a time for family reunions, honoring elders, and expressing gratitude for life’s blessings. Rooted in traditional Chinese values—such as respect for heaven, filial piety, and family education—the festival teaches younger generations to honor age-old traditions and cherish the bonds that hold families together. Attendees can enjoy the soaring sounds of traditional instruments like the erhu and pipa, taste mooncakes and authentic cuisine from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, and participate in fun family activities like crafting lanterns and lucky moon rabbits. In 2024, over 15,000 visitors and 230 vendors gathered for this two-day celebration, embracing mystical legends and timeless cultural values. This year’s 10th anniversary promises even greater community connection and brand visibility for sponsors who wish to support diverse art, culture, and shared traditions.
Like Thanksgiving in America, the Moon Festival is a time for family reunions, honoring elders, and expressing gratitude for life’s blessings. Rooted in traditional Chinese values—such as respect for heaven, filial piety, and family education—the festival teaches younger generations to honor age-old traditions and cherish the bonds that hold families together. Attendees can enjoy the soaring sounds of traditional instruments like the erhu and pipa, taste mooncakes and authentic cuisine from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, and participate in fun family activities like crafting lanterns and lucky moon rabbits. In 2024, over 15,000 visitors and 230 vendors gathered for this two-day celebration, embracing mystical legends and timeless cultural values. This year’s 10th anniversary promises even greater community connection and brand visibility for sponsors who wish to support diverse art, culture, and shared traditions.
Moon Festival Traditions & Legends
Traditions:
Mooncakes are a delightful and traditional treat, typically filled with smooth lotus seed or rich red bean paste. Some even surprise with a golden egg yolk at the center, symbolizing the glowing full moon. These rich, symbolic desserts play a key role in the Moon Festival, representing unity and completeness during family celebrations. As much a feast for the eyes as for the taste buds, mooncakes add a playful and festive twist to the joyous occasion.
Lanterns of every shape and color dance in the night, casting a magical glow that pays tribute to the Lady of the Moon.
Honoring deeply rooted family values is essential during the Moon Festival, bringing families together in joyful reunions and fostering respect for elders. Through filial piety and the reverence for heaven, these traditions are passed down from generation to generation, teaching children the importance of honoring their parents and setting a positive example for the future.
Lady of the Moon:
At the heart of the Moon Festival is a tale woven with love and bravery. In a time when the Earth burned under ten suns, the valiant archer Hou Yi restored balance by shooting down nine, earning the favor of the Heavenly Queen Mother. She gifted him an elixir of immortality, but his love for his wife, Chang'e, led him to choose life with her over eternal youth.
Yet, destiny took a fateful turn. To protect the elixir from a jealous intruder, Chang'e drank it herself and ascended to the moon, becoming the Moon Goddess. Ever since, the moon glows brightest on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, heralding the Moon Festival and keeping alive their poignant story.
Wu Gang:
According to legend, Wu Gang was a woodcutter obsessed with immortality but lacked the discipline to learn properly. As punishment, the Heavenly Emperor sent him to the Moon Palace and tasked him with cutting down a self-healing osmanthus tree, promising immortality only if he succeeded. Despite his endless efforts, the tree would always regenerate, and the story of Wu Gang's eternal struggle is said to be visible as a shadow on the moon, where he endlessly chops the tree.
The Jade Rabbit:
In the legend of the Jade Rabbit, three gods disguised as poor old men sought food from a fox, monkey, and rabbit. While the fox and monkey offered what they could, the rabbit, having nothing to give, selflessly leaped into a fire to offer itself. Touched by this act of sacrifice, the gods transformed the rabbit into the Jade Rabbit and sent it to the Moon Palace, where it now resides with Chang'e, creating the elixir of immortality.
Mooncakes Origin:
The tradition of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is said to have originated in the Yuan Dynasty when the people of the Central Plains, oppressed by the ruling class, organized a rebellion. Zhu Yuanzhang, a key leader, used mooncakes to secretly communicate plans for an uprising by hiding messages inside them. On August 15th, the rebels launched a coordinated attack, leading to the successful overthrow of the Yuan Dynasty. Following the victory, Zhu ordered mooncakes to be distributed as a symbol of celebration, and the custom became an enduring part of the festival.
Happy 10th Annual Moon Festival!
Proclamation Letters:
From our past events
Video Gallery:
From our past events
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