LA Kings Celebrate Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month

The LA Kings organization is honored to celebrate Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May, alongside the ongoing contributions the AANHPI community has to the greater Los Angeles community and the sport of hockey.

This past season, the LA Kings honored the diverse communities that help shape Los Angeles through our Heritage Night series. Lunar New Year, Filipino, Japanese, and K-Town Nights were vibrant celebrations of culture, history, and pride—brought to life in the arena. Highlights included community-led performances like the Korea Town Senior Community Center Harmonica Class, which added a heartfelt and authentic touch to the evening. Fans also had the opportunity to take home a special piece of the night by purchasing an exclusive New Era beanie ticket pack.

As part of this season’s Heritage Night celebrations, the LA Kings partnered with local artists and designers to create exclusive merchandise collections that honored the rich cultural identities of Japanese, Korean, and Filipino communities. These limited-edition pieces, including custom apparel and accessories, were available both in-arena and online, allowing fans to celebrate their culture—or show support with pride and style. To further celebrate Asian culture, the team also commemorated Lunar New Year with arena festivities and themed merchandise that paid tribute to the holiday’s traditions.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES:

Educate

• The LA Kings recognize the month of May as Asian Pacific Islander Desi Heritage (APIDA) Month to celebrate the accomplishments, contributions and rich heritage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Desi Americans, intentionally expanding recognition to include our South Asian Kings family.
• In 1978, Congress designated first week of May as Asian American Heritage Week to commemorate both the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants as well as the completion of the transcontinental railroad (by mainly Chinese workers).
• As denoted by the U.S. Census, Asians and Pacific Islanders refer to people who trace their origins and identities to over 50 countries in Central Asia, East Asia, Hawai’i and Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia (the Middle East).
• Fun Fact: Yutaka Fukufuji became the first player born in Japan to play in the NHL when he appeared in four games for the LA Kings during the 2006-07 season.

Celebrate

• Celebrate the Japanese holiday Kodomo No Hi (Children’s Day) at the 3rd Annual Kibō Nobori Children’s Day Festival at Terasaki Budokan on Saturday, May 4th.
• Attend the 41st VC Film Fest (Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival) from May 1 - May 7.
• Visit the Gold House where every May, the A100 honors the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific leaders in culture and society over the past year, as well as special honors for unique contributions. Celebrate the honorees through this special film, produced in partnership with Team One, and learn more about their achievements here.
• Explore the Google Arts & Culture page to celebrate the vibrant history, culture, and artistic contributions of the APIDA community. Through short documentaries and powerful conversations on art and activism, this collection highlights the depth, diversity, and impact of APIDA voices.

Act

• Support local AAPI chefs, brands and creatives at AAPI LA Market x Smorgasburg on Sunday, May 18.
• Make a donation or volunteer with one of our nonprofit partners who serve the API Desi community:
  • SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans): SIPA enriches and empowers generations of Pilipino Americans and others by providing health and human services, community economic development, arts and culture, and a place where people of all backgrounds come together to strengthen the community.