I recently attended the 45th Annual Lotus Festival at Echo Park by myself just to see what it was…read moreall about, and I had an absolute blast! My visit ended up being a little shorter than planned because of the summer heat, but I still had plenty of time to explore the booths, enjoy some amazing food, and snap lots of photos. Overall, it was such a fun experience!
I showed up hungry, so naturally the first thing I did was scope out the food vendors. There were so many delicious options, mostly Asian cuisine. I originally had my heart set on grabbing some iconic Pioneer Chicken, but those plans changed the second I spotted an Indonesian food vendor called Papa Satay.
As someone who's mixed with Dutch-Indonesian, I honestly haven't had much Indonesian food growing up, so I knew I had to give it a try. The woman working the register was an absolute sweetheart--so friendly, welcoming, and incredibly helpful while explaining the menu. I ordered Combo #1, which came with one pork satay skewer, one chicken satay skewer, two egg rolls, and fried noodles. Everything was mostly decent, but those satay skewers completely stole the show! They were packed with flavor, perfectly cooked, and easily my favorite part of the meal. I'll definitely be looking for Papa Satay again at future festivals.
Beyond that, there were plenty of other tempting food vendors serving Thai, Chinese, Hawaiian, Korean, and more, so there was truly something for everyone.
One thing I really loved was how many interactive booths and activities were spread throughout the festival. The LADWP booth had a fun spin-the-wheel game where I won a cute glasses cleaner, and the LA Public Library booth was handing out freebies while helping people sign up for library cards. There were live cultural performances, painting stations, arts and crafts, and so many opportunities to stop and explore.
I was honestly surprised I'd never heard of this festival before! Someone told me that each year they highlight a different Asian country, and this year's featured country was Sri Lanka, which I thought was such a unique and meaningful way to celebrate different cultures.
There were also lots of vendors selling handmade goods and other non-food items. I saw everything from henna artists and clothing to artwork, crochet creations, toys, and more. Before arriving, I even preordered one of the official Lotus Festival folding fans online and picked it up as soon as I got there. It was great quality and absolutely saved me in the heat!
One of my favorite purchases of the day was the CUTEST crochet frog hat from Ducky Crochet House! Their booth was full of adorable handmade creations, and I couldn't resist. I made sure to follow them on Instagram because I definitely want to support them again and hope to see them back at next year's festival.
Even though I attended solo, I genuinely had an amazing time. The atmosphere was welcoming, lively, and full of positive energy. Best of all, it's completely FREE to attend! If you've never been to the Lotus Festival, I highly recommend checking it out. I'll definitely be back next year!