"Downpour, Uproar!" Theme Spotlights Community's Joyful Spirit with Parade, Live Performances, and Art Activation
Photo Credit: Bob Hsiang, Robert Borsdorf, Joyce Xi
(San Francisco, CA) - CCC of San Francisco (Chinese Culture Center) invited the public to experience the return of the Hungry Ghost Festival, a major cultural and arts festival in San Francisco that honors the deceased with a modern interpretation of this community tradition. On Saturday, August 17, from 4 PM to 9 PM, the festival was held at Chinatown’s Central Subway Station Upper Plaza and Portsmouth Square, with the venerable 14-foot-tall Ghost King as the centerpiece for the kickoff parade.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is a free, family-friendly event that offers interactive art, live music, and cultural performances while showcasing local Chinatown businesses. This year’s theme is “Downpour, Uproar!” spotlighting the community’s resilience as San Francisco and Chinatown rebound from the pandemic-related challenges. Last year’s inaugural festival attracted more than 20,000 attendees.
"The Hungry Ghost Festival is a powerful time to honor our ancestors and connect with the community. It's a celebration of the community,” says Executive Director Jenny Leung. “CCC’s work is to uplift under-served voices, and in this moment of division, arts are healing and empowering. CCC is proud to invite everyone to come to Chinatown to celebrate this modern interpretation of this tradition, come together in solidarity, and roar together.”
Historically, taking place on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Lunar calendar, the Hungry Ghost Festival holds great cultural significance for the Asian community- the event represents a time when the boundary between the living and spiritual realms disappears, offering an opportunity for the living to honor the deceased. The Hungry Ghost Festival is deeply rooted in ancient traditions and provides a self-reflective moment for individuals to honor ancestors, restless spirits, and the living.
The Hungry Ghost Festival was vital in the mid-1800s, offering solace to those dealing with loss and trauma. After the 1906 Earthquake, many temples supporting these traditions closed. However, the Hungry Ghost Festival endures as a symbol of resilience. In 2023, the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco revived the festival, bringing together diverse communities. For the 2024 festival, the theme "Downpour, Uproar!" will embrace catharsis, honoring ancestors and empowering attendees.
The festival features the following key features:
Ghost King Parade: Join a 14-foot-tall "Ghost King" entourage, either by dressing up or bringing props, and march through Chinatown to bless the neighborhood, embodying the souls of unreconciled pasts (Start time at 4 PM)
Performance and live music: Visit Portsmouth Square and the Chinatown Central Subway Upper Plaza to enjoy interactive art activities for all ages. The stage, known as "Getai," will host a variety of performances throughout the evening, along with a live DJ set. Community altars and booths by Lotus Taoist Institute, Marigold Project, and others will be present. (5 PM-9 PM)
Art activation from Art Together (Hong Kong), Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, Badri Valian, Kearny Street Workshop, Bijun Liang, Marigold Project, Unbound Bookstore, and San Francisco Public Library
The event is made possible with sponsorship from the California Natural Resources Agency, California Department of Social Services/Stop the Hate, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office of San Francisco, with additional support from San Francisco Grants for the Arts, San Francisco Foundation, Walter and Elise Haas Fund; San Francisco Recreation and Parks.
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About CCC of SF
For over 50 years, CCC has uplifted Chinatown through the arts, as both a vibrant neighborhood and a powerful metaphor for the immigrant experience. In recent years, the CCC has continued to evolve, through its thought-provoking international exhibitions and educational programs, the organization spotlights the most pressing and often complex issues of our time, sparking crucial dialogues that unite diverse perspectives and inspire meaningful actions toward a more inclusive and equitable society. Some of its iconic programming includes “Chinatown History and Art Walking Tour,” “XianRui: Artist in Excellence Series,” “41 Ross: Artist-in-Residence,” and the new “Hungry Ghost Festival.”