The Asia Pop Courtyard was bubbling with life last Friday night, with great music, food and activities, it was not only entertaining but an educational experience too. The event runs again over the next two Fridays (Friday the 17th and the 24th) from 5-9pm. During this time you not only get free access to the Immigration Museum—which also serves as the venue for this event—but you also can enjoy some Asian street cuisine from vendors such as Wonderbao and Kimu Japanese Korean Eatery. Wonderbao even had a vegan option that they let me try, which was absolutely delicious. The staff were very friendly too, so I definitely recommend you check out their physical restaurant as well.
You can dance to some of your favourite Kpop and Jpop tunes courtesy of the DJ duo Japandaman and Silhouette D’Amour, who I had the pleasure of meeting on the night. There were many great Kpop hits played that night from artists such as 2NE1, Big Bang, SHINEE and many more. They DJ under the name Bubble Pop DJs, you can check out their promotional video here!
The Kpop dance group that performed on the night were also amazing! You can get a taste of their performance in the video link below.
If you’re a fan of Asian beers, they have quite a few on the list at the bar, and also had cup sake in a gorgeous Bambie glass available as well.
You won’t need any liquid courage to get up on stage and join in on the great karaoke session, however. All karaoke fans are welcome to get up and sing their favourite 80s, 90s or even early 2000s hit whether you sing as well as Beyonce, or as terribly as… well, me, your performance will be welcomed with cheers and applause as you belt out Bohemian Rhapsody, Love Shack or whatever you like. If you do need that little bit of courage however, share the stage with a friend or even one of the staff members, who I found to be big karaoke fan, one lovely lady even got up to sing with me. It’s great fun for people of all ages.
However, one of the highlights for me, for a completely different reason was getting to experience the Immigration Museum’s exhibits. The focus on what life is like when coming to Australia in this way is honest, real and eye opening and truly puts things into perspective for someone who was born here or never had to worry about all the things that come along with migrating to another country. If you visit the Asia Pop Courtyard, I highly recommend you also check out the exhibits as well. The 2nd floor of the museum even features a Kung-Fu installation, which was also very interesting!
I had so much fun on my own, that I invited my friends to join me again on the last Friday of the event, and I highly recommend it to those with an interest in Japanese and Asian cultures, it’s both educational and enjoyable!
For more information, check out the Facebook event page and the Immigration Museum website.
