Pacifica Square in Aurora is gearing up for its sixth annual Moon Festival on Saturday, September 19, a free, no-ticket-required celebration built around mooncakes, lanterns, and the year’s fullest moon. The event opens at 2 p.m. and spans the shopping center’s food court, restaurants, and outdoor plaza at 4300–4462 E. New York St., with cultural performances, a cosplay competition, martial arts demonstrations, and food trucks joining more than 40 vendors for the day.
As reported by Shaw Local, the festival is a harvest celebration centered on family reunion and gratitude, a tradition Pacifica Square marks each fall alongside the fullest moon of the year. This year’s programming includes cultural performances representing China, Japan, Korea and other countries across Asia, scheduled for 2:40 p.m., along with video game contests and a cosplay competition that have become staples of the celebration.
The afternoon’s headline attraction may be the 4th annual Ramen Race, a competitive ramen-eating challenge with two rounds — the first at 3:30 p.m. and the second at 4:30 p.m., per the same report. A complete schedule of performances and vendors is posted at pacificasquare.com/events.
A Harvest Tradition Thousands of Years Old
The Mid-Autumn Festival itself traces back more than 3,000 years, historically observed on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month during a full moon as a way to give thanks for the autumn harvest and celebrate family reunions, according to Britannica. Traditionally, that means mooncakes and lanterns, customs Pacifica Square weaves into its programming even as it layers on modern draws like cosplay and video game contests…