Art
Rituals
Performances
Parade
Art Rituals Performances Parade
August 23, 2025
4:00PM - 9:00PM
SF Chinatown
Program Schedule
4:00PM
Ghost King Parade Kickoff
📍Chinatown - 667 Grant Ave.
Lead Cultural Bearer: Lotus Tao Cultural Association
4:00PM - 9:00PM - Art, Music, and Community
📍Portsmouth Square
Performances, Art Activations, Altars, Community Booths
📍Grant Ave (Between Clay and California)
Parade Kick-off, Art Activations
📍Chinese Culture Center Learning Center
750 Kearny St, 3rd Fl
Youth Activities and Shopping Challenge Redemption
📍41 Ross
CCC Design Store, Art Activations
Theme: Demons Of Our Times
As our world tilts into chaos, the ghosts we once feared now wear new faces. Time-tested “rituals” of demonizing immigrants and rationalizing terror are in full force.
So we ask: Who is the demon of our times?
Demons of Our Times invites you to confront this question through a contemporary reimagining of a radical tradition. Known as Zhongyuan or Yulan Festival, the Hungry Ghost Festival is observed across the Chinese diaspora. On the fifteenth night of the seventh lunar month, the most anguished spirits breach the boundaries between worlds, seeking solace through rituals of food, fire, and performance. Will you stand with us to face the demons of our times? If so, bring your fire to the festival!
Stage 歌台
Rice Rockettes
The Rice Rockettes is San Francisco’s premier Asian & Pacific Islander Drag Queen Troupe and House. Officially formed in the summer of 2009, the group came together to champion a fun and safe space for individuals in the A&PI communities to empower and express themselves through the art of drag and performance, at a time when drag was not quite as mainstream nor as prevalent in said communities as it is today. Since their inception, they have performed in numerous events and dance clubs around the Bay Area and beyond and even found themselves on a very short stint on America’s Got Talent.
Baht Wor Charity Foundation
Baht Wor Charity Foundation is a Cantonese Opera group that was founded in 1956. They endeavor to provide immigrants with arts appreciation and learning opportunities that are beneficial to the mind and body. Our flagship performance takes place in spring and autumn annually, a tradition we keep ever since the birth of the troupe.
美西八和會館成立於1956年，致力推動為新移民提供有益身心健康的文娛藝術欣賞及學習機會。他們的旗艦演出每年春季和秋季舉行，這是自劇團成立以來一直保持的傳統。
LoCura
With four powerhouse women at the helm, their live shows are a soul-stirring punk-edged party mixing cajon-driven rhythms with mutilingual lyrics that reflect the unique intersection of cultures in the Bay Area. Ana Tijoux meets Manu Chao with a touch of Lhasa. LoCura has toured the U.S, Canada, Nicaragua, Mexico and Spain playing music festivals and sharing the stage with artists such as Macy Gray, Bombino, La Cuneta Son Machin, Ziggy Marley, Beats Antique, Quetzal, and Nortec Collective. In the California Bay Area they have opened for Ana Tijoux, Sergio Mendes, Celso Piña, La Santa Cecilia, The Seshen & Bomba Estereo and have sold out The Great American Music Hall &The Independent in San Francisco.
Maya Songbird
Maya Songbird is a genre-blending artist known for her bold visuals, cosmic sound, and magnetic stage presence. With 15+ years in the underground music scene, she’s toured independently across the US, including the Sister Spit 20th Anniversary Tour, and has graced stages like the Multiverse Festival and Island Festival. Her latest work, Space Cadet Bachelorette continues to showcase her unique blend of retro-futuristic soul, funk, and DIY pop.
Ash Bricky
Ash Bricky is a Bay Area-based musical collective blending raw energy, fierce identity, and radical politics into a genre-defying sound they call Indigenous Trans Folk Punk. Comprised entirely of trans, therian, and anarchist members, the band is a bold voice in the national underground music scene, channeling lived resistance into every performance. Fronted by Ash Bricky on vocals and guitar, and joined by the powerful banjo and harmonies of Lanikai Valentine, the collective brings intense, emotionally charged sets that challenge norms and ignite solidarity. Their lyrics explore themes of survival, identity, and liberation, grounded in both Indigenous resistance and queer resilience. Known for their DIY ethic and mutual aid-driven tours, Ash Bricky isn't just a band—they're a movement. As they travel across the country, they leave behind more than just music: they leave sparks of revolution.
Queer Taiko
Queer Taiko, formed in 2013 by Aki Oshiro (they/them), is a multi-cultural and intergenerational group of LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies committed to building trans and queer community, representation and visibility through Japanese taiko drumming. Based in Oakland, the group meets on Friday nights and is always accepting new members and drop ins.
Community Booths
Interested in tabling with your community organization at Hungry Ghost Festival (4-8 pm)? It’s a great chance to connect with thousands of festival goers, we encourage interactive art activities, engaging elements and giveaways at your organization tables.
Sign up by July 31:
DJ Livv
Born and raised in the Bay Area, DJ Livv grew up with a love and appreciation of music across all genres to create memorable musical experiences. She has performed at a wide range of events throughout the Bay Area and beyond from clubs to festivals to intimate gatherings, curating the perfect soundtrack for any occasion. She has recently excelled in the digital music space as a partnered Twitch streamer, playing for audiences worldwide and consistently ranking among the highest in viewership within the global music category.
Chinatown Portsmouth Square Dancing Club
The Chinatown Portsmouth Square Dancing Club is a 50-person team that performs traditional Chinese dances across the San Francisco Bay Area. The Dancing Club welcomes and teaches dancers of all ages and backgrounds, including older members of the Chinatown community, and aims to bring the beauty of music and dance to Chinatown. The Dancing Club was founded by Xiaoyun Zhou, a dancer in her seventies, who immigrated from Kaiping, China to America in 2003. Zhou started teaching herself how to dance as a young girl, and found that SRO housing in Chinatown did not afford her to the space to continue dancing. However, she noticed that Portsmouth Square was always quiet from 7-8 am, and decided to found a dance club for the Chinatown community. Since then, the PSDC has brought vibrancy, love and care to Chinatown.
More information on Art Activations, Community Booths and Shopping Challenge coming soon!
Yau Kung Moon 柔功門
Yau Kung Moon (YKM) is a Kung Fu & Lion Dance Group. The YKM style is based on the movements of ten various animals (Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Leopard, Crane, Lion, Elephant, Horse, Monkey, and Eagle).
柔功門是一個功夫和舞獅團隊，他們的風格取自十種動物的姿態（龍、蛇、虎、豹、鶴、獅、象、馬、猴、鷹）