BY YAYOI LENA WINFREY for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 9/11/2026
On September 12, the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation (CRPF) will host its 14th annual Tacoma Moon Festival. To learn more about this event, Weekly Volcano spoke to CRPF Administrator Ben Everett.
Weekly Volcano: What are we celebrating?
Ben Everett: The annual Tacoma Moon Festival is a celebration of both Tacoma’s rich cultural heritage and its beautiful waterfront.
The one-day event introduces the Asian traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the legend of the Chinese Moon Princess, while sharing the arts and heritage of Tacoma’s many different immigrant cultures through stage performances, crafts, and other activities. This year’s event will be truly multicultural, featuring performances ranging from Chinese lion dancers to Pacific Island reggae, Hispanic fusion, Cambodian classical dance, Norwegian folk music, and Bollywood dance.
WV: How is the CRPF involved?
BE: Since 2012, the CRPF has produced the annual Tacoma Moon Festival to celebrate Tacoma’s rich cultural diversity and to commemorate the tragic 1885 Tacoma Chinese Expulsion. Shortly after the completion of the Fuzhou Ting’s construction onsite at the Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park, the CRPF began organizing this event to bring more crowds to the park, encouraging them to learn about the history of the expulsion and begin reconciling with it through shared cultural experiences and appreciation. Through this work, the CRPF fosters greater public understanding of historical and ongoing racial injustice while celebrating Tacoma’s diverse past, present, and future.
Our organization is very privileged to be supported by many generous sponsors and donors, including Tacoma Creates, the City of Tacoma’s Arts and Cultural Vitality department, Parks Tacoma, Pierce Transit, MultiCare Health, Annie Wright Schools, the Gottfried and Mary Fuchs Foundation, KBTC, Bert Paul Parking, and the Pacific Northwest Shop. Without all of their financial and in-kind support, we wouldn’t be able to organize an event of this scale.
WV: What should we know about Chinese in the Northwest?
BE: Chinese immigrants were among the workers who helped build the Pacific Northwest, laboring in railroads, mills, mines, and fisheries throughout the late 1800s. But as anti-Chinese sentiment grew during that period, driven by complex socioeconomic issues leading to economic anxiety and racist scapegoating, many communities in our region turned violently against the very people who had helped build them. Tacoma is a stark example of this. On November 3, 1885, a mob made up of local business owners, police, and political leaders forced the city’s entire remaining Chinese community, around 200 people, out of their homes and marched them to the train station. Their homes and businesses were later burned. This event became infamous as the “Tacoma Method,” held up at the time by some as a model for other cities looking to expel their own Chinese residents. Similar expulsions happened elsewhere on the West Coast, including in Seattle just a few months later, but Tacoma’s is remembered as one of the most organized and effective. At the CRPF, we believe this history isn’t just a dark chapter to file away. It’s part of understanding how our region became what it is today, and it’s part of why our work exists: to make sure this history isn’t forgotten, and to create space for reflection, education, and reconciliation.
WV: Why is there no Chinatown in Tacoma?
BE: When the mob drove Tacoma’s Chinese residents out in 1885, their homes and businesses were destroyed in the days that followed. Unlike in other cities, no one returned to rebuild. Tacoma’s Chinese community simply never re-established itself in the city, which is part of why there’s no historic Chinatown here today, no streets or storefronts that carry that legacy forward. Due to this, the CRPF has moved to preserve the memory of what was lost and educate visitors about the history of the expulsion through the Chinese Reconciliation Park itself. In doing so, we have created a permanent public space that confronts this history and transforms its legacy into an opportunity for education, remembrance, and collective action.
WV: How can we support the CRPF?
BE: Other than attending our annual events and spreading the word about them, the best thing you can do to support our organization is to donate.
Almost all our annual budget comes from grant funding, most of which is restricted to cover our programmatic costs.
As we continue to raise awareness about our organization, our mission of reconciliation and inclusion, and our beautiful waterfront park, please consider donating to support us.
WV: What are the solemn segments of the festival?
BE: Though this event is designed to be more of a communal celebration, there are still more serious moments throughout the day.
First, the Moon Festival’s opening ceremony will begin with spiritual blessings from Pastor George Bedlion of Garden City Church and Reverend Tadao Koyama of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple. This blessing is a long-standing tradition at our event and is done to provide our attendees with good fortune. Afterward, lion dancers from Mak Fai Kung Fu and Lion Dance Association will lead attendees to the stage area, where the rest of the festivities will begin.
About halfway through the program, we will pause to welcome newly naturalized citizens in partnership with Tacoma Community House (TCH). We’ve partnered with TCH on this since 2024, and it has always been a highlight of our event, as we celebrate the arrival of new community members and reaffirm our commitment to ensure everyone feels welcome in our city.
WV: What are the fun parts?
BE: In addition to five hours of onstage performances, the event will feature delicious food vendors (such as Jan Parker Cookery, the Taste of Samoa food truck, and GreenSteamer LLC’s dim sum); local artist and activity booths, including caricatures, face painting, calligraphy, and capoeira demonstrations; a traditional tea tasting booth in the Fuzhou Ting; children’s craft activity areas; and a beer and wine garden near the main stage for the adults.
The Moon Festival will conclude with a Lantern Parade led by the Moon Princess, creating a perfect photo op for families and a magical finale to the event.
For more information, visit Tacomamoonfestival.org
If you would like to donate, visit: Tinyurl.com/DonateMoonFest
