The August Moon Festival celebration in Quincy will mark its 25th year with an expanded program, including a new area with food trucks, pony rides and a mini carnival.
The festival, which is organized by Quincy Asian Resources Inc., is scheduled for Aug. 19 in Quincy Center.
Quincy Asian Resources director John Brothers said this year is a milestone for the festival, which started before the rush of Asian immigrants to Quincy and today draws about 10,000 people and involves 200 volunteers.
“It shows not how the Quincy Asian community has grown and matured, but how Quincy has grown and matured,” Brothers said. “It’s one of the major events this city hosts. It’s great that we’re able to have such an eclectic mix of people attend.”
In Chinese culture, the August Moon Festival commemorates the 15th day of the full moon. It is tied to a cultural legend involving an archer and his wife, from whom he was separated and visits on the 15th day.
Brothers said this year’s festival footprint will be expanded to include a parking lot at the end of Cliveden Street where a garage used to stand. The garage was torn down as part of the construction of the Walter Hannon Parkway, which bisects Quincy Center.
The parking lot will be the site of mini-carnival rides, pony rides and food trucks that organizers and volunteers recruited from the seasonal SOWA festival in Boston’s South End.
The event will also have its traditional food court section at the corner of Cottage Avenue and Hancock Street featuring Quincy Asian Resources’ longtime local restaurant partners.
The free event also includes live cultural performances throughout the day on the main stage, which this year will be just past the intersection of Cliveden and Hancock streets, and a children’s area run by the South Shore YMCA.
The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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