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What is going to happen at this year’s annual winter event?
Photo from AISG official website: AISG community enjoying the 2023 Holiday Bazaar
By Franziska L.
As some winter breezes start to drift into Guangzhou, the nearing arrival of the AISG community’s annual evented presented by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is announced: Holiday Bazaar. This year, it will be held on December 4th at Ersha Campus.
Holiday Bazaar is the most large-scale winter event that the AISG community hosts. The event includes booths from Global Community Education (GCED) student groups, outside vendors and other community groups providing food, games and shops for the attendees. In addition, it also provides entertainment; performances organized by students, faculty and staff are on the mainstage, bringing festivities to this event.
However, as AISG’s “annual PTA signature event”, as stated from their official website, the Holiday Bazaar is a recurring event, returning every year with similar activities. On the Beacon (the AISG student newspaper), there were multiple articles describing the past Holiday Bazaars, and many similar phrases can be seen such as “student booths”, “lucky draw”, “food vendors”, “band performances”, etc.
“It can get repetitive sometimes.” Says an anonymous 10th grader in a given survey, however, there are still thousands of attendees, according to AISG, there was a record high of 2000 attendees during 2023.
Photo taken from AISG big screen: The 2024 Holiday Bazaar promotion poster
“Every year PTA aims to do different things and invite various outside vendors that offers varieties of gifts for friends and families. If you are looking to find unique gifts, you will find it at Holiday Bazaar.” Said Ms. Tania.
In addition to explaining the PTA’s missions for Holiday Bazaar, Ms. Tania also revealed some exciting aspects of this year’s event: “Teacher’s Band is back! And we will have a number of student and teacher singers too. Our raffle prizes are bigger and more attractive.” Ms. Tania also said that “It is not PTA AISG if we don’t have a few surprises, RamShack always debut new winter items, and our vendors are ready with new items this year. New restaurants are participating this year too.”
It seems that although the Holiday Bazaar’s season of event seems permanent, the event itself is always changing to bring new and exciting experiences for the attendees.
Besides the PTA, there are also other contributors to the Holiday Bazaar such as the GCED groups, who are also trying to bring freshness to the recurring winter event by bringing new activities from their booths.
Grade 12 Sherry W. is the student coordinator of the GCED group High School Union, who says that her group is planning to do a new activity of Christmas face painting. “I hope people could enjoy our wonderful activity and dress up close to the Christmas theme this year”, says Sherry when asked for her hopes of this year’s Holiday Bazaar.
Additionally, Grade 10 Qinglin Y. is the student coordinator of the group Roots and Shoots People. “Roots and Shoots People have planned to use a mystery wheel where you could win prizes. This was because it is capable of being adapted to fit into the theme of winter and Christmas. In addition, we also plan to sell jewelry made by our partnered organization called Eden in hope of promoting them and helping them gain money towards their cause. We hope the bazaar will act as a great catalyst for Roots and Shoots People not only to earn funds to put back into our AISG community but also help promote our partnered organizations such as Eden.” Says Qinglin.
Photo from AISG Beacon: students playing games at GCED student booths during 2023 Holiday Bazaar
Other than a simple celebration of the winter season, Holiday Bazaar is also a chance for GCED groups to raise money for their cause, while also providing a fun experience for the attendees.
While the organizers and contributors of Holiday Bazaar are working hard to shape Holiday Bazaar, not as just a simple celebration, but also a chance for groups to raise money for their cause, there are already signs of excitement for this significant event within the AISG community.
Some, like Grade 5 Frederick L., who has already attended the event in the past years, states that he is still excited despite how the event returns every year. “I want to do the lucky draw because I don’t win it and this year, I hope I do, and also, I want to dunk the teachers because it is really fun.”
Photo from AISG official website: student participates in teacher Dunk Tank activity in 2018 Holiday Bazaar
While others, like Grade 7 Dana O. who are excited because they haven’t attended the event before. “I am looking forward to the performances and the booths that are going to be [there].” States Dana.
As a “tradition of AISG”, as how AISG describes this event on its website, Holiday Bazaar is still fairly popular with returning students as it is with new students who haven’t been to the event yet. Some responses from students of what they anticipate from the Holiday Bazaar are, “Good food, good activities, fun friends and very cold weather” from Grade 10 Natalie H. who rates are excitement for the event 8/10 and Olina Z., another Grade 10 who says she is 9/10 excited for Holiday Bazaar and “I think my GCED will make a lot of money from face-paint and henna tattoos.”
It can be seen that the ever-changing event of Holiday Bazaar is special to the AISG community, where it is a well-known event between the entire student body and where, even though what’s in store is still a mystery, an event people are excited for. From the interviewed students, most anticipate for not the event itself, but the experiences it will bring, like the spending time with friends and celebrating the season with family. To the AISG community, as Ms. Tania states, “Holiday Bazaar is a good ol’ tradition where we welcome other schools and the entire Guangzhou community to our home, celebrating winter season together. Everything that is good is always better when shared.”
Photo from AISG official website: A student performance at the 2023 Holiday Bazaar
In Guangzhou, where winter temperatures may still mean turning on the AC, the AISG community strives to celebrate the season of hot cocoa and snow, in another way: in form of Holiday Bazaar.
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