Lotus Festival Blooms
Photos by JuanCarlos Chan, Rec and Parks
![](https://b3701274.smushcdn.com/3701274/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Lotus-43-205.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
The Lotus Festival returned to Echo Park Lake July 13 and 14. This year’s festival honored the people and culture of the Philippines.
The Lotus Festival returned in person in 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
The Lotus Festival originated in 1972 and is one of the City’s largest festivals and a celebration to promote awareness and understanding of the contributions by the Asian and Pacific Islander people to our culture and to the local and surrounding communities.
A variety of entertainment, Asian food and drinks, booths, artwork, handmade crafts, an eco-friendly area, a children’s courtyard, and other activities were offered. The event also brought back the widely popular Dragon Boat Races with teams of people paddling across Echo Park Lake.
As happens every year, many City departments competed against one another in the Dragon Boat races.