The first-ever “Street Festival” will take place on Oct. 18 from 5-8 pm in the campus mall.

The event is presented by the Asian Student Organization (ASO) and the Office of Intercultural Engagement and Belonging. The festival will feature food from several Asian cultures, and the Lion Dance team will perform. The first 100 students to arrive will receive a free drink and food voucher.

Bett Gui, president of ASO and a graduate, said she is grateful that the university supports efforts to educate students about Asian culture.

“I want students to see that ACU puts in effort to help them educate other people about their culture,” Gui said.

She said that the organization’s goal goes beyond cultural celebration.

“We want to help them be their voice, or support them,” Gui said. “And maybe later on, if we have more events like this, they’ll be willing to join us and speak up for themselves.”

ASO’s biggest event each year is the Lunar New Year celebration at the beginning of the spring semester. This year, the group wanted to add something special for the fall.

“This is the first time we’ve decided to have a big event for the fall semester,” Gui said.

Aaron Klammer, treasurer of ASO, said he hopes the festival will give students a sense of connection.

“It’s just to make it feel more like home for me and my other international students,” said Klammer, junior marketing major from Shanghai, China. “But also to help people here understand like, ‘Hey, this is our culture,’ and this is what ASO is trying to teach and share with people here in Abilene.” 

He also hopes the event encourages students to explore Asian culture further.

“I just want them to be interested and want to learn more about the different Asian cultures,” Klammer.

Klammer emphasized that ASO is open to everyone, not just Asian students.

“Even though we’re called the Asian Student Organization, we’re not just for Asian students on campus,” he said. “We’re for everybody. We want to include as many people as we can in our culture and share it with Abilene.”

The organization hopes to continue the Street Festival and make it an annual event.