Panda Fest
Lion dancers at Panda Fest Credit: courtesy Panda Fest

A whole world of Asian street eats — and a whole lot of pandas — are headed to Orlando this spring.

Panda Fest, one of the nation’s fastest-growing Asian food and cultural festivals, will make its Orlando debut Feb. 27-March 1 at Festival Park, marking the first stop of the festival’s 2026 season and its first event in Central Florida.

The three-day event promises more than 80 food vendors and food trucks serving more than 200 dishes inspired by cuisines from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and beyond. In addition to the food, guests can expect live performances, artisan vendors and immersive panda-themed installations designed to transform the park into a black-and-white wonderland.

And, true to its name, pandas will be everywhere.

Panda Fest began in 2024 in New York City as a one-day street fair called Panda Day. Founder BiuBiu Xu tells Orlando Weekly the idea had been on her mind for years, but the final push came during an emotional period in her life.

“I’m really a crazy fan of the panda,” Xu says. “Panda is kind of like my spirit animal.”

She launched the first event shortly after giving birth.

“At that moment, I gave birth and I felt a little bit emotional at that moment of my life, so I thought I would do something really cute and so panda came to my mind,” Xu says, noting she had been thinking about creating something panda-themed for years.

What started as a one-day event snowballed quickly, proving it had staying power. Last year, the festival expanded to 11 cities.

Those cities included Phoenix, Nashville, Charlotte, Atlanta and San Diego, with several stops selling out. Vendors began traveling from city to city, building what Xu describes as a growing community around the festival.

This year, Orlando was chosen to kick off the season. “We got so many messages from local people that they want to come,” Xu said. “We got a lot of emails or direct messages from local people. They ask us, ‘Oh, please come to Orlando.’”

While food festivals are plentiful, Xu says she believes Panda Fest stands apart because of its fully immersive theme.

“When I created the event, I wanted everyone to be part of the event. Everyone should follow the panda theme,” she says.

Each city receives a customized panda design tied to local culture. In Atlanta, pandas have appeared holding peaches or paired with fried chicken and waffles. For Orlando, the panda mascot will hold an orange.

That localized panda design appears on the collectible pin included with festival admission. Attendees also receive an inflatable panda headband — small touches meant to make attendees feel like active participants rather than spectators.

“When you wear the headband, you will really, really come to the festival,” Xu says. “When you see the 15-foot inflatable panda, when you see every vendor, their food is decorated with a panda feature, you will feel like the festival is really, really immersive about the panda topic.”

Many vendors at Panda Fest are small, often family-run businesses.

“We are really very proud of our vendors because they are small businesses,” she said. “There are so many families — our vendors have big family teams. They are very proud to introduce you to what they cook and the origin of their food.”

Some vendors travel from New York or California to participate, while others are local businesses joining the lineup in their city. Xu is particularly proud of how the vendor community has grown, with some returning year after year and even traveling to cities where they have no local footprint.

Xu hopes attendees leave with more than just full stomachs.

“First of all, of course, I want everyone to have a great time and enjoy their time with family or friends,” she said. “And second, I really want them to taste as many different types of Asian street food as possible.”

For one long weekend, Festival Park will become a celebration of food, culture and, of course, pandas — featuring one very Orlando twist: a panda with an orange clenched firmly in paw.

PANDA FEST: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 27-March 1, Festival Park, 2911 E. Robinson St., pandafests.com, $17-$41

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This article appears in Feb. 18-24, 2026.