Hillsboro Public Library's Brookwood branch will host a free Mid-Autumn Festival on Saturday, Sept. 19, with live taiko drumming, crafts and family activities tied to the lunar harvest holiday.

The celebration runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Brookwood branch, 2850 N.E. Brookwood Parkway in Hillsboro.

The event is among several Mid-Autumn celebrations planned across the Portland area, OregonLive reported.

For Beaverton-area families, the Brookwood festival is the closest option that doesn't require a trip into the city.

The Takohachi Q Ensemble, a semi-professional group of three to five performers, will headline the event.

Founded by Portland musician Yumi Torimaru, the ensemble performs taiko drums, shinobue bamboo flutes and Tsugaru shamisen, a Japanese lute. Torimaru started the parent organization, Takohachi, in 2006 as a nonprofit dedicated to preserving traditional Japanese music and dance while creating new taiko performances.

The Q Ensemble launched as a smaller unit built for libraries, schools and intimate venues, according to the Portland Japanese Garden.

Event organizers said the festival aims to build community connection and celebrate cultural diversity through educational sharing, according to a statement on Takohachi's event page.

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month and is celebrated across China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan and throughout the Asian diaspora. Families gather to give thanks for the harvest, share mooncakes and admire the full moon.

The Brookwood branch will follow the Saturday, Sept. 19 festival with a Vietnamese-English bilingual storytime on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 10:15 to 11 a.m.

That session will feature folktales, songs, rhymes and fingerplays, with a special surprise involving guest participants afterward. Both events are free.

Registration details and the full schedule are available through the Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) event calendar.

Upcoming Mid-Autumn events

  • Saturday, Sept. 19: Mid-Autumn Festival, Hillsboro Public Library Brookwood branch, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Free.
  • Saturday, Sept. 26: Vietnamese-English bilingual storytime, Brookwood branch, 10:15–11 a.m. Free.
  • Friday–Friday, Sept. 25–27: Lan Su Chinese Garden Mid-Autumn Festival, Portland. Daytime admission $16; evening tickets $29–$34.