Despite last year's snafus, SF festival returns and doubles attendance
Briefly

Despite last year's snafus, SF festival returns and doubles attendance
"Held at SoMa's Rincon Center, the event dedicated to dough and fillings drew double the number of attendees it had expected, resulting in endless lines and most vendors selling out hours before the festival was supposed to end. People were so hungry that they were stealing food, and an unclear ticketing system increased wait times and frustration levels. This year was going to be different, promised Zeien Cheung, festival co-organizer and co-founder of Asians Are Strong, the nonprofit that dreamed up World of Dumplings."
"They absolutely did. First of all, with 70-degree temperatures and only the smoke trails of Fleet Week clouding the clear, blue sky, it was an ideal day for an outdoor festival celebrating 17 of the city's most exciting dumpling experts. Overlooking the waterfront, the vendors included established restaurants like James Beard Award-winning Yank Sing and Michelin-approved Palette Tea House, as well as up-and-coming spots, like Eastern European-Californian Dacha Kitchen & Bar."
"The Ferry Plaza was already starting to fill up when I arrived around noon. "It's been crazy," Cheung told me after I entered and passed a Labubu mascot that had its own sizable picture line. The World of Dumplings's new Little D mascot hovered around the festival and looked like a life-size dumpling plushie. I took my now-annual dumpling face-in-the-hole selfie at the photo booth. I admired cultural dances, including performances from Ukrainian, Polish, Chinese and Korean dance groups."
Last year's inaugural World of Dumplings experienced serious logistical problems, including overcrowding, long lines, vendors selling out early, food theft, and an unclear ticketing system. Organizers from Asians Are Strong promised improvements and staged a free, volunteer-run event at the waterfront Ferry Plaza with more vendors and a new venue. The outdoor festival enjoyed ideal weather and featured 17 dumpling vendors ranging from Yank Sing and Palette Tea House to Dacha Kitchen & Bar. Attendees encountered mascots, a photo booth, and cultural dance performances from Ukrainian, Polish, Chinese, and Korean groups. The event felt calmer and better organized than the prior year.
Read at SFGATE
Unable to calculate read time
[
|
]