In 2015, the City of San Gabriel hosted the inaugural Dumpling & Beer Fest, the city’s own twist on Oktoberfest. The Dumpling & Beer Fest unites Asian dumplings and beer, two distinct flavors of San Gabriel, into a one-of-a-kind festival. Festival-goers spend the evening sampling local craft beers and enjoying traditional and fusion dumplings from restaurants around Southern California, while live entertainment outside the Mission Playhouse fills the air with music.
Since its inception, KCM Agency has produced and managed the festival, which in just a couple of years, has grown into an award-winning event. New programming such as the Dumpling Eating Contest and Best Dumpling Contest were added as a way to engage festival attendees as well as food vendors. The festival continues to grow every year and boasts over 20 dumpling vendors, 20 craft beers, and nearly 4,000 festival-goers annually.