USAAF 2025: Critical Refuge

Each year, the United States of Asian American Festival (USAAF) presents up to 20 different programs reflecting the artistic accomplishments and cultural diversity of San Francisco’s Pacific Islander and Asian American communities. USAAF showcases artists representing a diverse range of ethnic and cultural groups and aims to heighten the visibility of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists working in all disciplines - theater, music, dance, film, literature, visual arts, and more. Our goal is to nurture and empower these groups to be self-sufficient while providing the support they need to grow. 

This year’s theme, Critical Refuge, asks us to reflect on our journey as immigrants, refugees, and generations of descendents and/or mixed race people in the diaspora as we seek necessary sanctuary within ourselves and in our communities in times of unrest and uncertainty. The festival will honor AAPI arts and culture reflecting on where we have been, where we are now, and what our collective future holds while acknowledging our roots as immigrants, refugees, and mixed-race descendants. Thank you to our many partners and funders including the San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, California Arts Council, Zellerbach Family Foundation and startsmall.