Founder Notes #3 - Bubble Tea Festival Is Not a Food Festival

Many people assume the Bubble Tea Festival is simply one of Vancouver’s many food festivals.

But the truth is, it has never been a food festival.

Bubble tea itself is not really a dish.

It is closer to a form of Asian lifestyle culture.

Traditional cultural festivals are often about preserving heritage —

traditional dances, traditional clothing, traditional food.

But bubble tea culture is different.

It is not a culture from the past.

It is a culture that is still unfolding.

For many young people, bubble tea shops are social spaces.

Friends meet there to talk.

Students study there.

People go there on dates or even meet new friends.

Many stories begin with a cup of bubble tea.

It is a culture that is young, vibrant, and cross-cultural.

One of the few cultural spaces that naturally brings together people from different communities.

That is why when I created the Bubble Tea Festival,

I never saw it as a “food festival.”

Bubble tea is only the beginning.

What truly gives the festival meaning

is the connection between people.

Some come to drink bubble tea and listen to music.

Some come to dance or meet new friends.

Brands meet and begin collaborations.

Sometimes I think this is actually very similar to bubble tea itself.

The flavor of bubble tea does not come from a single ingredient.

It comes from bringing different elements together —

tea, milk, pearls, sugar.

When they come together, something new emerges.

The Bubble Tea Festival is the same.

People from different cultures and backgrounds gather because of a cup of bubble tea.

Through conversations, collaborations, and encounters,

new connections, stories, and possibilities begin to take shape.

The Canada Bubble Tea Festival is a cultural festival for a new generation.

And bubble tea is simply the reason that brings everyone together.

——Eric Yang

Founder of the Canada Bubble Tea Festival