By Vanessa Wu
Staff Writer

San Gabriel is hosting the fourth annual Dumpling and Beer Festival outside the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse on Thursday, October 4th from 6pm to 10pm.

Admission is free for all ages but parents and young adults may purchase beer tasting wristbands that are available online for $33 and at the door for $40. This festival is a family-friendly event where kids can enjoy fried dumplings to steam dumplings with a variety of different types of foods.

The festival’s main attraction for attendees are the authentic dumplings or the variety of crafted beers. Not only does it offer dumplings and beer, but it also provides entertainment, desserts, and other Asian cuisines. From Los Angeles to Santa Ana, vendors such as Mad Dumplings, Momma Fung & Co., Workaholic, Steamy Bun Truck, Rice Balls of Fire, and Ridges Churro Bar are coming to San Gabriel for the award winning festival.

Alongside dumplings and desserts, there are vegan and vegetarian options as a subsititute. Vegetarian options contain cabbage, celery, and mushroom in the dumplings and mac and cheese dumplings. As for entertainment, DJ Black Rabbit and Zenobia Records are coming back for the second time to entertain the guests.

“[The dumpling were] quite delicious. There’s nothing I love better than dumplings and desserts,” Gabrielino English Teacher, Lillian Chen stated. “I hope this year they have more vendors. Although it was a little pricey, it was cheaper than the 626 Night Market.”

Other than food and desserts, the festival also includes a few dumpling contests. Last year, Mad Dumplings won the Best Dumpling Contest and Momma Fung & Co. won the Most Original Dumpling. The city of San Gabriel is proud to bring them back.

Dumpling vendors can participate in the Best Dumpling Contest and the Most Original Dumpling Contest. A panel of judges will determine which vendor wins and two winners will go home with a cash prize. Guests who participate in the Dumpling Eating Contest will have two minutes to eat as many dumplings as they can. The winner will receive $100.

This Asian-infused festival was based off of the famous Oktoberfest in Munich and Bavaria in Germany. Oktoberfest is a huge beer festival in Germany where travellers from all over the world attend this event. San Gabriel continues the Oktoberfest tradition by having beer tasting featuring Wiretap Brewing, Mt. Lowe Brewing Co., Sapporo/Unibroue, Ogopogo Brewing, Rev Winery and Brewery, and Pacific Plate. However, San Gabriel decided to have a local twist on this festival, thus adding dumplings and making it a friendly-family event.