Further proof that family fun can be free, Oakland’s Chinatown is hosting its 22nd Annual StreetFest this weekend. The two-day event celebrating The Year of the Ox will serve up entertainment on three stages with traditional music and dance, delicious food and plenty of hands-on cultural activities.

Sponsored by the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, the StreetFest is a great introduction to the traditions of the Chinatown neighborhood. Although the event attracts thousands of people from all over the Bay Area, activities are dispersed over a 10-block area.  While you’re watching dance troupes or the Great Wall Orchestra on the stage, you can pop into nearby shops for paper fans, sesame balls or bubble tea.

This year, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and Museum of Children’s Art are hosting a cultural village with hands-on art activities.  Always popular are the lion dancers, and the StreetFest will have plenty—both traditional and acrobatic.  Also on the schedule are Taiko drummers, Hawaiian and Polynesian dance troupes, Chinese dancers, and a range of music from classic Asian to dance rock, Latin, soul and R&B.

Celebration central is the area between Seventh and Ninth Streets, Harrison and Broadway.  It’s just a few blocks from the 12th Street City Center BART.  Oakland Chinatown StreetFest runs this Saturday and Sunday (August 22 and 23) from 10 a. m. until 6 p.m.