PAPER CUTTING: Festivalgoers learn the art of traditional Chinese paper cutting

ACOUSTIC MELODIES: Singer-songwriter Austin Luu, 19, performs at the festival

ROCK ERHU: The Hsu-Nami, a renowned prog-rock band from New York City, features an erhu-playing frontman. The band's song Rising of the Sun was used as the entrance theme for the Chinese basketball team during the 2008 Summer Olympics

WAY OF THE SWORD: Students of Resobox, a studio and workshop celebrating Japanese culture, demonstrate samurai sword techniques

STRIKE A POSE: Japanese pop singer Setsuko hopes to make it big in the Big Apple

SHINTO DRUMMING: The Soh Daiko troupe performs for the crowd

V & K: Asian-American songstress Viennie V performs her Top 40 hit For You with DJ K Ho for the crowd

AJNA DANCE: Dancers from New York's Ajna Dance Company perform a traditional Indian bharatanatyam piece. Founded by dance artist Minila Shah, the studio also offers classes

Background

The U.S. government officially designated May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month in 1992. The month was chosen to mark the anniversary of the first Japanese to immigrate to the U.S. in 1843, and to mark the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants, according to the Library of Congress.

Asian-Pacific Americans are New York City's fastest growing demographic, increasing by more than 32 percent since 2000, and make up about 13 percent of the city's population. All totaled, this demographic is more than the Asian populations of San Francisco and Los Angeles combined.