Autumn Moon Festival brings music, cuisine, and culture to the streets of San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO - September 23, 2007 The Chinatown Merchants Association will present the 17th Annual Celebration of the City's Autumn Moon Festival the weekend of September 22 - 23, 2007, from 11am to 6pm each day. During the Moon Festival, Chinatown's historic Grant Avenue will become a pedestrian-only bazaar with live entertainment between California and Broadway, as will Pacific Street between Stockton and Kearny streets. Admission is absolutely free and everyone is welcome.

The Moon Festival, Chinatown's best-attended annual event for several years running, marks a significant holiday on the Chinese lunar calendar. To mark its celebration, several stages throughout Chinatown will feature a variety of live entertainment acts. Among the performers this year will be a host of Asian-themed dancers and drummers, traditional and contemporary musicians including Chinese Opera, martial artists, magicians, and new for this year, a renowned Chinese acrobatic troupe. New Festival sponsor Saab will also be presenting its sleek new line of cars.

The Festival's many street vendors will offer visitors the best shopping around on everything from plants to housewares, clothes and souvenirs. And, as always, Moon Festival sponsors will join Chinatown merchants in presenting a variety of special offers, activities, arts and crafts, and food along the main festival route. The famous Dragon will close the festivities at 5pm on Sunday. Attendance at the Moon Festival is always high, so the public is encouraged to use BART or MUNI to reach Chinatown.
About Moon Festivals
Moon Festival celebrations, though still relatively new to the U.S., have been held throughout Asia for well over 1,000 years. This holiday is a time to reflect upon the bounty of the summer harvest, the fullness of the moon, and the myth of the immortal moon Goddess, Chang O, who lives in the moon.

The Moon Festival is often compared to a sort of "Chinese Thanksgiving" because of its spirit of gratitude and its inclusion of abundant food — including the popular moon cake. Moon cakes are flaky, round, semi-sweet pastries often filled with bean or lotus-seed paste and topped with a duck egg, echoing the shape of the full moon. Many millions of moon cakes are gifted around the time of the Moon Festival.


About the 2007 Autumn Moon Festival


The Autumn Moon Festival is organized by The Chinatown Merchants Association. The CMA is an independent community organization dedicated to the revitalization of commerce and tourism in one of America's most unique historic neighborhoods. Through its annual sponsorship of tradition-based events like the Annual Autumn Moon Festival, the CMA seeks to help visitors and locals alike appreciate the rich cultural heritage of Chinatown and all those who live and work in it. More information about the Autumn Moon Festival is posted at www.moonfestival.org.

The 2007 Autumn Moon Festival is presented by Major Sponsors Saab and Safeway. Supporting Sponsors of the Festival are Bank of the Orient, Chevron, KyLin TV, New York Life and PG&E, and the event is co-sponsored by Gek TV. The Autumn Moon Festival is also funded in part by Grants for the Arts/SF Hotel Tax Fund.