2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival, September 27 at North Park.

The 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival will be held on September 27 at North Park. The event runs from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm on North Park Lake (map), and in addition to the races that support breast cancer survivors, there will be a lion dance, food trucks, vendors, and activitiy tables including the Chinese Heritage Room (from the Pitt Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Program), OCA, the Pittsburgh Chinese School, and the Pittsburgh Taoist Tai Chi Society. The event is free for spectators, and registration remains open for teams of paddlers through August 31.

Meet Pho now open in Oakland, in old Meet Bao spot on Atwood St.

Meet Pho is now open in Oakland, and has a menu available online, via Fantuan. It is located at 114 Atwood St. (map), in the spot formerly occupied by Meet Bao, which had announced what they said was a temporary closure over the summer months. Meet Bao opened in 2021 in what was briefly Night Market Gourmet and TOP Shabu Shabu, and before that was perhaps best known as Pizza Sola.

2016 film Shin Godzilla (シン・ゴジラ) playing in Pittsburgh area in black and white, August 31.

An orthochromatic release of the 2016 film Shin Godzilla (シン・ゴジラ) will play in the Pittsburgh area on August 31.

In SHIN GODZILLA:ORTHOchromatic, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi’s 2016 feature is reborn in stunning black and white. Released in Japan in 2023 in the leadup to Godzilla’s 70th anniversary, this version adds new dimensions to the film’s visual impact by rendering it in orthochromatic (“ortho” for short) black and white, a type of monochrome inspired by the texture of traditional orthochromatic film, characterized by starker contrasts and more pronounced blacks. The results are awe-inspiring and presents SHIN GODZILLA as never seen before.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the Cinemark in Robinson at 6:30 pm, and tickets are available online. The 4K release of Shin Godzilla is playing locally here through at least the 27th.

Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea (一芳台灣水果茶) to hold Grand Opening for its first Pittsburgh-area location, August 23 and 24, with buy-one-get-one free specials.

Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea (一芳台灣水果茶), which soft opened its first Pittsburgh-area location in Squirrel Hill last month, will hold its Grand Opening on August 23 and 24.

🎉 GRAND OPENING in PITTSBURGH! 🎉
We’re celebrating our GRAND OPENING on August 23 & 24, 2025 with your favorite YiFang drinks 🍍✨
Buy One, Get One FREE – both days long!

💛Yifang Fruit Tea
🍍 Pineapple Green Tea
🍯 Green Plum Green Tea
🧋Brown Sugar Pearl Latte
🍓 Strawberry Latte
🌿 Sugarcane Mountain Tea

📍 YiFang Taiwan Fruit Tea – Pittsburgh
5825 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Grab a friend and celebrate with us! 💛

Work first began on Yi Fang back in October 2024, and the new spot joins several other famed Asian dessert and beverage chains that have opened recently in the neighborhood, like Tiger Sugar, Mango Mango, and Kyo Matcha.

Hello Kitty Cafe Truck at Ross Park Mall, October 4.

via @HellyKittyCafeTruck

The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will return to Ross Park Mall on October 4.

Hello Pittsburgh! The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is returning to Ross Park Mall on Saturday, 10/4! Come say hello to us near The Cheesecake Factory & LL Bean between 10am-7pm and pick up some supercute treats & merch, while supplies last! See you there!

More information about the truck and its tours available via Sanrio. Ross Park Mall is located in Ross Township in the North Hills, just off McKnight Road (map).

More theaters and showtimes for KPop Demon Hunters A Sing-Along Event in Pittsburgh, August 23 and 24.

The feature-length film KPop Demon Hunters A Sing-Along Event will play in the Pittsburgh area on August 23 and 24.

When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet -- an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise.

The 95-minute film plays locally at the Waterworks Cinema, Cranberry Cinemas, Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson, and tickets are available online.

First batch of films for 2025 SCREENSHOT: Asia Film Festival, running September 20 through 28, announced.

SCREENSHOT has announced the first batch of films for its 2025 SCREENSHOT: Asia Film Festival, running from September 20 through 28. The initial lineup consists of 12 films, with more to be announced later, including

• A Better Tomorrow (英雄本色) - 4K restoration of 1986 Hong Kong film
• A Useful Ghost (ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ) - 2025, Thailand
• Blue Sun Palace (蓝色太阳宫) - 2024, United States
• Daughter's Daughter (女兒的女兒) - 2024, Taiwan
• Missing Child Videotape (ミッシング・チャイルド・ビデオテープ) - 2024, Japan
• Mixed Modern (ミックスモダン) - 2025, Japan
• Pavane for an Infant (搖籃凡世) - 2024, Malaysia
• The Botanist (植物学家) - 2025, China
• Winter in Sokcho - 2024, France

Ticket and showtime information will be announced later, with screenings to be held around Oakland and the downtown Cultural District. SCREENSHOT: ASIA, which puts on the annual festival along with other Asian programming,

is a joint project from the Film and Media Studies Program and the Asian Studies Center that brings together students, faculty, and community members to create a shared awareness of Asian and Asian American experiences through contemporary film and media. Using film, video, and other on-screen arts, the series provides a forum to learn about Asian art, whether it is a classic work of cinema, a film by an emerging director, or a documentary addressing contemporary social concerns. The programming allows us to reflect on the importance of visual arts, current arts technology, and the place of cultural experiences in a global educational experience.

Work progresses on Lao Sze Chuan, a chain of Szechuan restaurants opening its first Pittsburgh-area location in Cranberry.

Work progresses on Lao Sze Chuan, a chain of Szechuan restaurants set to open its first Pittsburgh-area location in Cranberry.

The very first Lao Sze Chuan opened in 1998 in Chicago’s Chinatown and has since become one of the most beloved Chinese restaurants nationwide. The brainchild of Sichuan-born Chef Tony Hu, Lao Sze Chuan prides itself on providing traditional Sichuan cuisine with high-quality ingredients. In 1999, Lao Sze Chuan was recognized by the Chicago Tribune as “One of the Best,” receiving a “three fork” rating that was considered a prominent accomplishment for Chinese restaurants at that time.

Although Lao Sze Chuan has flourished since humble beginnings, our mission to offer, elevate, and promote gourmet authentic Chinese cuisine and provide exceptional customer service has never wavered. Our Grade A chefs are skillfully trained in Sichuan cuisine to provide the most authentic flavors at all locations. To this day, Lao Sze Chuan lives by the mantra “One Style For One Dish, A Hundred Dishes Have A Hundred Different Tastes,” a saying that keeps our most frequent customers coming back for more.

It will be located at 936 Sheraton Dr. in Mars, in what was most recently Max & Erma's (map). Work began on the spot in November 2024. This location is coming to the area by the restauranteur behind Wild Ninja Asian Grill in Oakland (2021-2022) and Dagu Rice Noodle in Squirrel Hill (2020-2025), in addition to Lao Sze Chuan, KyuRamen, Shinto, and Dagu Rice Noodle locations in Ohio.

2008 Hayao Miyazaki film Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) in Pittsburgh, from August 23.

The 2008 Hayao Miyazaki film Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) will play in Pittsburgh from August 23 through 27, part of Studio Ghibli Fest 2025.

Ponyo is a spunky little goldfish who swims to the beat of her own tune. One day, Ponyo escapes the grip of her overbearing father and is found washed ashore by a human boy named Sosuke. But when Ponyo makes a wish to become human herself, she throws the entire balance of nature into turmoil. With direction from Academy Award® winner Hayao Miyazaki and a delightful score from Golden Globes® nominee Joe Hisaishi, Ponyo’s whimsical narrative and popping colors are masterfully woven with resonant themes of environmental preservation and self-actualization.

It plays locally at the Waterworks Cinema, the Chartiers Valley Luxury + PTX, and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online; please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Oakland's Smile Thai & Sushi closes.

Smile Thai & Sushi, which opened in October 2024 in the spot formerly occupied by Spice Island Tea House, appears to have closed over the summer. It opened with great fanfare, replacing the 29-year-old restaurant Spice Island, but was beset by poor health inspection reports and bad reviews.