PANDA FEST’s First Event of 2026 and First-Ever Event in Orlando Brought Local and National Food, Fun and Culture to Central Florida
Orlando FL (RestaurantNews.com) Panda-monium swept across Central Florida! PANDA FEST, one of the nation’s fastest-growing Asian food and culture festivals, kicked off its biggest year yet with its hugely successful, first-ever Orlando edition, selling out and bringing 30,000 excited attendees to Festival Park to enjoy a vibrant celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures. Held from Friday, February 27 through Sunday, March 1, 2026, guests enjoyed a weekend filled with delicious food, live performances, arts and crafts from local and national vendors and interactive panda-themed experiences designed for all ages.
“We thank you, Orlando, for the huge PANDA FEST welcome,” says PANDA FEST Founder Biubiu Xu. “Since we started PANDA FEST, we’ve been hearing from so many of our fans that we need to come to Florida and that Orlando would be the perfect home, and they were right. We are very grateful to all our attendees for making our first Orlando festival a sold-out success, and we will definitely be back! We also thank our incredible family of local and national vendors and our entire hard-working team, who help make PANDA FEST the hugely successful, highly celebrated festival that it is.”
Guests of PANDA FEST explored a culinary journey across Asia with more than 80+ food vendors and food trucks offering 200+ dishes from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and beyond. From authentic street food to creative fusion bites, there was something for every palate. In addition to the food, attendees browsed a curated marketplace of 20+ vendors offering crafts, clothing, accessories and artisan goods inspired by Asian heritage. Programming featured traditional performances including lion dances, K-pop routines, sumo and Kung Fu demos, Taiko drumming, as well as a Silent Disco, which was a crowd favorite. Vendors included both national and local businesses. And of course, pandas took center stage, wth Instagram-worthy installations including a 15-foot inflatable panda, a panda bounce ring and themed treats, souvenirs and games galore.
Founded by BiuBiu Xu, PANDA FEST began in 2024 as a one-day pop-up in New York City and quickly grew into a multi-city, multi-day celebration. PANDA FEST has now expanded to 12 cities across the East Coast, West Coast and central U.S., including Phoenix, Dallas, Austin, Nashville, Charlotte, Hartford, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle and Minneapolis/St. Paul, with many cities hosting sold-out events, cementing its reputation as a must-attend cultural event.
For more information, visit PandaFests.com, and follow along at @pandafestorlando and @pandafests on Instagram for festival updates.
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Photos: PANDA FEST Orlando 2026 Photos
About PANDA FEST
Launched in 2024, Panda Fest is one of the largest outdoor Asian food and culture festivals in the United States. In its first year alone, the festival produced 13 events across 11 cities, welcoming over 500,000 attendees, with attendance continuing to grow. Featuring experiential activities, tastings, market fairs, and live performances, Panda Fest brings communities together to celebrate the richness of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures. Pandas serve as a playful central theme, appearing throughout the event in inflatables, games and activities, merchandise, and food offerings. Originally created as a one-day event called Panda Day by founder BiuBiu Xu, Panda Fest has since expanded into a multi-day, multi-city experience with events held in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Dallas, Seattle, Austin, the Twin Cities, Connecticut, Charlotte, Nashville, and Orlando. For more information on Panda Fest, visit PandaFests.com and follow along on Instagram @pandafests.
Media Contact:
Ilene Lieber
Passion PR Consulting
321-277-7812
ilene@passionprconsulting.com
