Kingston's Korean Harvest Festival is back for 2022, returning to the streets of New Malden this Saturday (September 10th) with a day full of family-friendly activities, live entertainment, educational language learning opportunities and food stalls.

Organised by the Korean British Cultural Exchange (KBCE), Harvest Fest kick starts the 7th anniversary of the Kingston Korea Festival 2022 which will also include the Kpop UK National Competition on the 13th November and the Kimjang Festival on 19th November.

The KBCE will host the Harvest Fest in association with the Kingston Chinese Association and Kingston's ESEA (East & Southeast Asian) communities.

There has been a considerable increase in awareness of Asian culture in the UK due to various factors including social media, popular culture and accessibility of travel. However, often the origins and traditional aspects are missed or promoted inaccurately.

Harvest Fest aims to celebrate the bringing together of all Asian cultures and educating people about the authentic experiences and traditions they would not normally be aware of.

Cuisine, traditional dance, storytelling and music including a Kpop competition, a traditional clothing fashion show and martial arts demonstrations are just a taster of the various ways traditions will be expressed in a town where over 20,000 Koreans live.

Commenting on this weekend's Harvest Fest, KBCE'S Chairman Deborah Hin said: "We wanted to invite and welcome everyone to our community with open arms. The way to get past cultural barriers is to get together, be open-minded, immerse yourself in the culture and celebrate with one another.

"As part of the Kingston Korean Festival line-up, we will also host the National UK Kpop Competition and Kimjang Festival in November. We would love you to join us."

Harvest Fest will take place in Jubilee Square, New Malden from 11.45 – 4pm. For more details, click here.