Tents nearly flew away as strong wind gushed through San Francisco’s Japantown during the fourth annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration.

Although the Bay Area weather proved high temperatures last week, a cool breeze did not stop hundreds of people from attending the Asian Heritage Street Celebration presented by California Pacific Medical Hospital on Saturday, May 17.

“[The weather] got a little cold, but everything else went well,” said AsianWeek newspaper community editor Angela Pang. “There were no major problems.”

The AHSC is an annual event organized by the AsianWeek Foundation, a non-profit committed to developing the voices of Asian America, in collaboration with over 150 organizations within the Asian American community in the bay area.

Pang, who has been working with the festival since 2000, said this year’s celebration topped the past three street fairs since it began in 2005.

“The street celebration is growing each year,” Pang said. “The event is a good way to showcase the diversity of the Asian American community and celebrate it.”

According to Pang, nearly 200 people screened for Hepatitis B at free and confidential vendors where health care providers and community organizations worked together to raise awareness of the illness.

Along with the prominent bay area radio stations such as KYLD’s Wild 94.9 and KMEL’s 106.1 blasted music from different ends of the street fair, various bay area artists showcased a diverse talent from the Sutter Street stage to the Peace Plaza stage.

The entertainment ranged from hip-hop performers and rock bands to comedians and spoken word artists.

The streets were lined with vendors that sold original artworks, promoted products and some even trailed out inescapable smell of barbecue chicken and hot dogs on the grill.

Although the line of vendors was filled with activity, some showcases stood out such as the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) Theory’s line up of about 50 cars ranging from unique one-of-a-kind prototypes of fixed up vehicles to familiar and popular Acura and Hondas.

“I would love to own one of these,” said Jonathan Collum, 21, as he took observed the details on the Infiniti G35. “It’s so clean.”

First-time festival attendee Lindsey Fong, 23, was most surprised by the muay thai kickboxing ring by San Francisco’s World Team USA.

“[The fighting ring] is something I didn’t expect,” Fong said. “I’ve never seen that at a fair.”

Fong had not heard too much about the fair and was impressed at the amount of people, she said.

“There were probably a turnout of 90,000,” Pang said. “It was such a good turnout.”

The AHSC is held annually every third Saturday of May in San Francisco.