The Colours of Asia festival is drawing near, the edition celebrating the seven year-anniversary of the Festival of Asian Cultures – Asia Fest, that will take place between 22 – 24 November at Romexpo (C3 Pavilion). The festival brings to the lovers of both traditional and contemporary Asian culture 3 days of shows, gastronomy, workshops, exhibitions and many surprises for the whole family, from over 20 countries of the large continent, including: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Palestine. The visit schedule is: Friday, 22 November, 1 pm – 8 pm, Saturday, 23 November and Sunday, 24 November, 10 am – 8 pm. The price of the ticket for the festival is 10 lei/day and can be purchased at the entrance to the pavilion, and children under the age of 5 have free access.
The main attraction of Asia Fest is the food court, the largest space in Romania that brings together the 
exponents of Asian gastronomy. Here, lovers of exotic aromas can enjoy Pad Thai and Tom Kha Gai, the spicy Thai soup, and foods from the Japanese cuisine: sushi, sashimi, nigiri, shrimp tempura and, for the first time, Japanese soup Miso, but also the famous Ramen soup (in Chinese style, which is served for breakfast) and the hot and sour Chinese soup. There will also be Thai ice-cream, Korean bulgogi, Chinese pork ribs, Syrian, Iranian and Turkish pies and sweets, street food and Indian food and tasty Indonesian coffee and food, and for vegetarians, falafel and Turkish Cig Kofte.
Visitors can take home the well-known Japanese Kikkoman soy sauces, the legendary Pataks mixes for curry, korma and masala, noori and wasabi for sushi, ingredients for Korean dishes and boxes of flavoured soups, but also Asian drinks such as Singha, the beer of the Thai Royal House, and Moutai, the traditional Chinese drink. And, of course, as at any event where Turkey is invited, there will be plenty of traditional coffee and tea.
In the area of exhibitions and products at Asia Fest, the visitors can take home comic books and decorations from Japan, books by Indian authors, henna, very rare Japanese and Balinese cosmetic products, but also stickers, manga, illustrations and t-shirts painted with Korean artists on the Artist Alley and can find out more about each country present at the festival at the dedicated cultural centres.
On the Asia Fest stage, visitors can watch Martial Art demonstrations and dressing up of the Japanese 
kimonos, Korean, Chinese, Oriental and Balinese traditional dances, as well as Bollywood, reading of Arabic poems and book launches, recitals of Turkish music and j-rock and blues and pop concerts.
In the evenings, at Colors of Asia, Romanian and international artists will perform: on Friday, Serkan Eruysal, a Romanian soloist of Turkish origin, who started his career in Turkey in 1997, and then continued it in Romania where he won the audience with his first single, on Saturday, Fetiblue, one of the most talented guitarists and composers of blues and rock music in Turkey, the author of the album Kus Ekmeği, which brings along, in ten songs, famous Turkish singers of jazz and blues, and on Sunday, Fang Shuang, the Chinese opera singer who conquered the whole of Romania with his performance in the show “Romania’s Got Talent” in 2017.
Other key moments, each one not to be missed by the passionate audience, are dance demonstrations and K-pop music recitals, where fans of the genre will be able to watch the choreography and listen to the songs of their favourite bands, but they can also enter a competition with prizes, the already established final of the 2019 ZNDK Kendama contest, where the best players in Romania will compete for the title, the traditional individual and team Cosplay competition, where the characters in anime and films come to life on stage, and also the parade of traditional costumes from Japan, Korea, China, Turkey, India and Indonesia.
Also, those who are curious can experience various workshops of Asian inspiration, from ikebana and Arabic, Korean and Persian calligraphy to Indian henna, Turkish water painting, Asian boardgames and a reading corner with Bengali fairy tales for the little ones. Throughout the festival, on the 1st floor of the pavilion, visitors can enjoy the exhibition of paintings and Arabic souvenirs presented by the European Cultural Centre Romano Panarab, but also the exhibition with Korean-themed paintings. The full programme for the stage and for the workshop area can be found on www.asiafest.eu.
Asia Fest is a multicultural dialogue that celebrates Asian culture, bringing to Bucharest, sometimes for the first time, both traditions and the contemporary life from places full of mystery and inspiration.
The programme will be soon available on www.asiafest.eu and on the Asia Fest Facebook page.
