Panda Fest, a popular Asian food and culture festival that made its Charlotte debut at Ballantyne’s Backyard this past weekend, is drawing mixed reviews.
Why it matters: The three-day festival was one of the city’s highly anticipated September events, created by the founders of Dragon Fest — recognized as one of the largest Asian cultural festivals in the U.S.
- But some attendees say Panda Fest didn’t live up to the hype.
Catch up quick: On Friday, fire marshals shut down the festival after outdoor cooking operations didn’t meet code requirements, WSOC reported.
- Ticketholders affected by the closure were allowed to reuse their passes on Saturday or Sunday.
- By Sunday, the event was sold out.
Zoom out: Charlotte has seen big-ticket festivals stumble before. In 2019, the Untappd Beer Festival drew widespread complaints over long lines, fragile souvenir cups and poor communication about weather delays.
I attended Panda Fest on Sunday. Here are a few takeaways:
Vendor options
The festival offered more than 70 Asian food vendors representing cuisines from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. But only a handful were local, and several offered duplicate menus, limiting variety…