From September 17 - 18, Auckland Museum will present the fifth annual Cultural Festival. The event celebrates the vibrant art and culture of Auckland's local Asian Communities though musical performances, martial arts showcases, arts and crafts, tea ceremonies, traditional games, modern cultural innovations and more.
Music lovers will enjoy an interactive talk and performance about the traditional 21-stringed gushing instrument with expert Xia Jia. The performance will be supported by NZTrio. Japanese taiko drummers will be on show, traditional Korean instruments kayageum and daegeum will be in action, and there will be traditional dances and martial arts demonstrations.
The Museum will also include free screenings of two films from the beloved Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, My Neighbour Totoro and Ponyo as part of the Cultural Festival programme.
The festival concludes on Sunday evening with the Cultural Festival Concert in the Museum's Event Centre. This year's concert will mark the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first Chinese migrants to Aotearoa.