An Asian Celebration: Tones Fest 2025 Allows Austin’s AAPI Creatives to Shine
Written by Samantha Firmin | August 26, 2025
photos by Samantha Firmin for Tones Fest
For the past three years, the Asian American Resource Center (AARC) has hosted Tones Fest, an all-Azn music and maker celebration. This year’s event took place on August 16 and, as always, was free and open to the public. People from all different backgrounds showed up with friends and families to support the amazing lineup of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) creatives, enjoy fun activities, and indulge in delicious food.
The majority of festivities took place in the AARC’s ballroom, where chairs lined a decorated stage and vendors filled the back of the room. When the doors opened at 1 p.m., many attendees flocked to the affirmation bracelet table, hosted by Angelina, where they had the opportunity to craft their own bracelets from an array of colorful beads. The table stayed busy throughout the day, attracting everyone from young kids to grandparents to fellow artists. Other activities included Henna by Neeti and a screen-printing station featuring three original designs by Lian Soy, who also designed the banner and other festival freebies.
Tones Fest also showcased a wide variety of AAPI businesses and artists. Each vendor brought their own unique style and incorporated elements of Asian culture into their products. Highlights included Jaewon Jeong’s ceramics (Mulle Ceramics), which used buncheong ware and lacquer techniques; Bei Bei Bear Design and LisaLisa’s illustrations, inspired by their Chinese and Filipino heritages respectively; and Sarah Doan’s artwork, which featured children of many different ethnicities and cultures.
To keep attendees energized, there was a generous spread of free snacks and drinks, including onigiri from Asahi Imports. For those with a sweet tooth, Kesshō, an Austin-based craft chocolate company, sold an assortment of chocolate bars and gelato with Asian flavors such as black sesame, boba tea, matcha, mango sticky rice, ube, and lychee rose.
The event’s lineup of local musicians further elevated the atmosphere. Emily No Good kicked off the performances with a genre-blending set that fused indie rock, post-punk, and house influences. While she is most known for being a tattoo artist and owner of No Good Tattoo, she impressed the crowd with her musical talent. Though she has not released any new work recently, there are whispers that she is set to return to the Austin music scene in the near future.
Next up was The Point, featuring Joe Roddy on keys and Jack Montesinos on guitar (with third member Nico Leophonte absent). The jam band filled the ballroom with their unique sound that blends global influences such as Saharan guitar music, zydeco, blues, and cumbia. Their psychedelic and funky grooves had shoppers pausing mid-browse to focus their attention on the stage.
The Point
Closing out the event was Allie Arnaez, a pop and R&B artist signed to mHart Media, Austin’s only Asian American media label. Up until this point, the vibes had been chill and laid-back, but Arnaez switched it up and brought out the pop-star energy with backup dancers and powerful vocals. She performed a number of songs from her recent EP fm radio and also treated festival-goers to an unreleased track, Passenger Princess. Her performance brought the event to an exciting and celebratory close.
allie arnaez
This year’s Tones Fest served as a reminder of the talented creatives, rich cultural pride, and supportive communities that thrive in Austin. Events like this play an essential role in creating spaces where people can come together to have fun, express their creativity, support local businesses, and connect with one another.
