Stories

Founder Notes

Notes from Eric Yang on building the Canada Bubble Tea Festival — the ideas, the setbacks, and why a cup of bubble tea can bring a city together.

Eric Yang

What Running a Festival Really Costs

A lot of people think the hardest part of running a big festival is the physical work. It's not.

From the very first edition, we've been asking ourselves the same question: what can a bubble tea festival become?

The biggest challenge isn't putting the event together — it's finding people who genuinely want to walk this journey with you.

No experience. No team. No funding. My goal was simple: if more than 1,000 people showed up, I'd call it a success.

Bubble tea is not really a dish. It is closer to a form of Asian lifestyle culture — and it is still unfolding.

Many people think the festival began in 2022. The idea actually started back in 2018.

I was sitting in the grandstand thinking: the people who organize events in a place like this must be incredible.