You don’t need to grab your passport for a trip to Asia — the 41st annual Oregon Asian Celebration returns to Eugene, with a long list of vendors, performances and activities for the community. This celebration honors the Year of the Horse, and opens with a traditional Chinese lion dance, believed to ward off evil spirits and welcome a prosperous year. There will be different food vendors, karaoke, a marketplace with Asian artisans, a martial arts stage and a main stage for general performances. “There are other fun activities that are interactive for people to get involved, if they want to learn how to do certain types of martial arts or learn how to do lion dance or taiko drumming — we’ll have interactive opportunities for the audience,” says David Tam, Asian Celebration co-director. Taiko is a Japanese percussion instrument and the word also refers to the Japanese drumming tradition that has been an important part of Japanese culture and history. This year, Tam says, “We have probably the most diverse entertainment that we’ve had before on the stage.” Tam has been an Asian Celebration director for the last 20 years, and says his favorite part of the festival is “seeing all the children’s smiles.” In the past, people have come up to him saying they attended the festival as a kid, and continued coming into their adult years.

Oregon Asian Celebration is 10 am to 9 pm Saturday, July 18, at Alton Baker Park, 200 Day Island Road. Free.