The Asian/Pacific-Islander Student Association and the Anime Club co-sponsored Dragon Fest, an afternoon of food, performance and cultural awareness on April 22.

Burt Kahn was filled with dragon costumes, leis, kimonos and Origami-adorned tables while Asian music thrummed through the speakers. The smell of bubble tea, noodles, rice dishes, flan and many other staples in Asian cuisine floated from table to table.

The event began with a buffet that represented foods from an array of different Asian cultures. Free henna tattoos and a booth to take pictures of attendees in kimonos were also featured.

The Hong Tinh Duong Lion Dance Team performed in sparkling, dragon-like lion costumes to the beat of a drum. The dancers moved among the audience, occasionally using the lion’s mouth to steal hats from audience members.

Next there was a martial arts demonstration, followed by a commemoration video in honor of the tsunami that devastated Japan last year.

The mood was quickly lightened by a rousing game of “Family Feud ‘Asian Edition’” and dances by The Quinnipiac Ballroom Society.

“I had fun and the food was really good,” junior Danielle Martin, a dancer from QBS, said. “I liked the dancing and the dragons, which were awesome. I thought it was great.”

Other attendees participated in a game of Omikuji, which predicted what the future held for them.

“I thought the event was really successful,” freshman Neha Malhotra, the historian of APSA,  said. “A lot of people, including faculty and kids, came around, which added some great variety. I’m really happy and we hope to do it again next year and make it even bigger.”