SF Chinatown to host 2nd annual Hungry Ghost Festival

Carl Samson
·1-min read

[Source]

San Francisco’s Chinatown is set to host its second annual Hungry Ghost Festival this Saturday, a unique event rooted in one of China’s most historic traditions. As the only citywide Hungry Ghost Festival in the nation, the celebration is both a cultural showcase and a community catharsis, offering a contemporary twist on a festival observed across East and Southeast Asia.

  • Background: The Hungry Ghost Festival, traditionally celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month (falling on Aug. 18 this year), is said to be a time when the line between the living and the spirit realms blurs. In Chinese culture, this period is marked by rituals to appease “restless spirits” believed to be forgotten or have met unjust ends. For Chinese Americans, especially those affected by the historical traumas of the Chinese Exclusion Act, this festival is an opportunity to honor ancestors and confront generational grief.

  • Event details: The theme of this year’s event, “Downpour, Uproar,” reflects a communal expression of pent-up emotions, allowing participants to channel their sorrow and frustrations in a safe, family-friendly environment. The festival kicks off at 4:00 p.m. at the Chinatown-Rose Pak Station with the Ghost King Parade, which will conclude at Portsmouth Square. From there, attendees can enjoy various activities until 9:00 p.m., including a marketplace on Waverly Place, art pop-ups on Grant Avenue and performances by groups like Stanford Taiko and Yau Kung Moon. The event also features community booths from organizations like the Asian Women’s Shelter and the Southeast Asian Community Center, alongside kid-friendly areas and art activations.

Download the NextShark App:

Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!

Latest stories

  • Cop’s huge court move after tasering 95yo

    A senior constable charged with manslaughter after a 95-year-old woman he tasered died has made a huge move in court.

  • Three men appear in court accused of killing two women and feeding their bodies to pigs

    Three men have appeared in court in South Africa accused of killing two women and feeding their bodies to pigs on the farm where they work. Farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, supervisor Adrian Rudolph de Wet, 19, and employee William Musora, 45, face two counts of premeditated murder, one count of attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm. Musora, a Zimbabwean national, also faces charges of being in South Africa illegally.

  • Girl sexually assaulted at train station

    An image has been released of a man after a woman was sexually assaulted at a Sydney train station.

  • Jon Bon Jovi helps 'distraught' woman to step away from ledge of Nashville bridge

    Rock legend Jon Bon Jovi has been captured on camera helping to persuade a "distraught" woman to step away from the ledge of a bridge in Nashville. The US singer was reportedly filming a video for his band's track "The People's House" on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge when the woman was spotted on the other side of the railings. CCTV footage, shared by local police, shows the Bon Jovi frontman and woman walking down the middle of the bridge on Tuesday evening.

  • Indigenous leader found guilty of stealing $920k

    Indigenous leader Geoff Clark and his son Jeremy have been found guilty of stealing close to $1 million from Aboriginal organisations over a 15-year period.

  • Aussies divided over 'crazy' sight in Bunnings aisle: 'It's ridiculous'

    Bunnings' Christmas display in September has divided Aussies, with one labelling the move as 'crazy'. Read more.

  • Personal assistant convicted of dismembering his boss is sentenced to 40 years to life

    A personal assistant convicted of killing and dismembering his former tech entrepreneur boss after stealing about $400,000 from him was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison, Manhattan's district attorney said. Tyrese Haspil, 25, was found guilty in June of murder, grand larceny and other charges in the 2020 death of his former boss, Fahim Saleh. Prosecutors said Haspil had been hired as an assistant for Saleh, whose ventures included a ride-hailing motorcycle startup in Nigeria, but quickly began to siphon money from Saleh's businesses.

  • Driver jailed over deadly Australian wedding bus crash

    Brett Button has been sentenced to 32 years in prison over the tragedy, which shocked Australia.

  • Man jailed over his mother's death dies in prison

    David Holyoak died while in custody, six months after being found guilty of manslaughter.

  • Father of 11-Year-Old Killed in Ohio Crash Says Trump and Vance Used Son's Death for 'Political Gain'

    The father of an 11-year-old boy who was killed last year when a vehicle driven by a Haitian immigrant struck his school bus has criticised Donald Trump and JD Vance for using his son’s death for “political gain”.Speaking at a city commission meeting on September 10, Nathan Clark, of Springfield, Ohio, asked Trump and Vance to apologize after the Republican nominee for vice president mentioned the death of Clark’s son, Aiden, as a reason to oppose Haitian immigration.“Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible,” Clark said.“This needs to stop,” Clark said. “I will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies.”Earlier on Tuesday, Vance alluded to Aiden in a post on X, writing that “a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant.” On Monday, the Trump War Room X account also posted about Aiden.At the city commission, Nathan Clark said, “My son, Aiden Clark, was not murdered. He was accidentally killed.”Aiden Clark died in August 2023 when a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant, Hermanio Joseph, hit the bus he was in. Joseph was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide and sentenced to nine to 13 years in prison. Credit: City of Springfield via Storyful

  • ‘Evil’: Family shattered by killer pilot

    The family of a murdered camper have described her killer’s conduct before and after her death as “wicked, evil and unconscionable”.

  • Call from suspect’s mom to Apalachee High School before shooting was not the only warning that morning

    Marcee Gray was 200 miles away from Winder, Georgia, when her gut told her something was not right the morning of the shooting at Apalachee High School.

  • Appeal to trace man after dog attack on a train

    Police say the dog bit the woman on the leg as she walked past, causing bleeding and bruising.

  • Killer wedding bus driver learns fate

    A bus driver behind the wheel of a wedding bus when it crashed, killing 10 people and injuring 25 more, has learnt his fate.

  • Medieval church bell replaced after 900 years

    The new bell replaces one dating back to 1150, thought to be Norfolk's oldest church bell.

  • Shocking Moment Hawk Swoops Down on Mother and Toddler

    Surveillance video captured the shocking moment a hawk swooped down upon a mother and her daughter in Needham, Massachusetts.Anh-Phi Tran captured this footage on his camera showing the hawk diving towards his wife and daughter.“I was just playing with my daughter and then I saw this huge bird just, you know, coming for us,” his wife Maya told local media.Maya grabbed her daughter Mave and managed to dodge the hawk just in time.“My first instinct was to protect her, get her away. Everything happened so fast,” she said. Credit: Anh-Phi Tran via Storyful

  • Dentist charged with poisoning wife wanted others to lie in elaborate scheme, prosecutors say

    Colorado dentist and father-of-six James Craig has been charged with murder in connection with the 2023 poisoning death of his wife.

  • Man jailed for murdering woman he paid for sex

    Adam Watson suffocated and strangled Samantha Holden, who was later found dead by her son.

  • Murder charge laid over 'brazen' public shooting

    A 41-year-old man has been accused of killing Mohammad Chami and shooting another man on the streets of western Sydney more than two years ago.

  • Asian woman films herself confronting group in NYC after alleged 'COVID' remark

    An Asian TikTok user named Isis Hong confronted a group in New York City after she claims someone said "COVID" when she coughed while at a safe distance from them. The encounter, which she captured on video, escalated into a heated exchange, with Hong alleging she was physically assaulted.