Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration Day 2026

Join us for Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration Day! Enjoy free museum admission and join us as we celebrate together and embrace music, art, culture, community, and more.

Celebration Series offers Rochester area families and community members the opportunity to learn more about specific cultures, communities, and events through performances, presentations, art & crafts, and more.

Schedule of Events

M&T Bank Ballroom

Main Stage Performances | Master of Ceremonies: Jinanshi Mehta
Ongoing 12:30–3:00 pm— Enjoy a diverse showcase of local talent and international sounds

• Patrick Jaun Band X Sazz IME: Collaborative musical fusion
• Miwais Nazari: Accordion & vocal performance
• Sheema Chawla & Ashita: Indian vocal selections
• Chinese School of Rochester: Featured dance showcase
• Phoenix Dance Studio: Modern dance choreography
• PASOR: Poetry reading
• Story Time with APAA: Mimi Lee

The Grand Finale
3:00 – 4:00 pm – Join us for the closing celebration! Featuring:

• Indian Dance & Singing: Shree Krishna Govind Hare
• Chinese School of Rochester: Dunhuang Dance
• Filipino American Association(FAAR): Carinosa
• Phoenix Dance Studio: Maggie, Mongolian Dance
• Bhutanese Dance: Chet Timsina
• Chinese Dance: Xiuqin, The Tavern
• Phoenix Dance Studio: Maggie, Chinese Traditional Dance
• Chinese School of Rochester: The Ode to Yanguang

Vanden Brul Pavilion

Opening Ceremony
12:00–12:30 pm—Kick off the festivities with high-energy performances to welcome the community!

• Chinese School of Rochester: Cultural dance performance
• A.A.R: Dance by Filipino community members
• Rochester Garba Group: An interactive Dandiya dance demonstration

Community & Cultural Heritage Tabling Fair
12:00–4:00pm —Meet some of the organizations and groups working locally to support our community and promote education on cultural heritage.

Auditorium

Instrumental Showcase
2:00–2:45pm A dedicated session for intricate instrumental artistry

• Eastman Community Music School: Gamelan Ensemble
  Experience the music and dance of Balinese gamelan! Our members include students, faculty, and many members of the Rochester community. Gamelan Lila Muni is an ancient four-tone gamelan angklung which traditionally performs music for rituals and ceremonies.
• Leah Ou: Pipa (Chinese Lute) Solo
  This performance will invite curiosity, joy, and reflection, celebrating the pipa’s unique voice as it speaks alongside diverse musical worlds. This energizing Pipa solo piece will be accompanied by background music that is well-known in Chinese culture.
• Chinese Music Ensemble of Rochester: Instrumental group performance
  Discover the sounds of many Chinese musical instruments including the Guzheng, Erhu and more!  

Bausch & Lomb Parlor

Art Making
12:00–4:00pm Experience hands-on, collaborative, and educational artmaking. Fun for all ages!

• Hamamatsu Rochester Sister Cities Committee: Japanese crafts, origami and cultural education about Hamamatsu, Japan
• MAG’s Creative Workshop: Make your own Year of the Horse Puppets, explore making Mandalas and work together on a collaborative Coral Reef Project—brought to you Creative Workshop Teaching Artists

Download the schedule as a PDF!

To submit a request for ASL interpretation, please email access@mag.rochester.edu at least two weeks before this program.

Celebration Series is sponsored by the MAG Council, with additional support from the Robert and Madeleine S. Heilbrunn Memorial Fund.