Last weekend, Saigoneers young and old turned up at District 2's Saigon Outcast for another installment of the Melting Pot Festival, a two-day music and art event which raises money for local children's charities. Featuring live theater and dance from Emily Navarra, House of Skarlet and X-CLOWN, poetry reading from Ngu Nam and a slew of musical performances from the likes of local artists like Wild Card, Datmaniac and 9th Dimension as well as several DJs, including Starchild, Jase and Duy Tuan, the festival provided an intimate look at the city's alternative arts scene.
All told, Melting Pot turned out to be exactly as the name suggests: a conglomeration of Saigon's best local talent showcasing their wide array of artistic skills. Away from the stage, graffiti artists Kris Kotcher and Crazy Monkey jazzed up Outcast's walls as well as the sky-high shipping containers on the property, while a handful of other activities – including henna tattoos and a pretty gifted fire spinner – kept things moving through the afternoon and into the evening.
The event reached its height on Saturday night, when Suboi graced the stage with her own contribution to the host of Melting Pot performances. The rapper performed a set which included a few new songs as well as some old favorites. A sizable crowd – perhaps the liveliest of the weekend's audiences – was in attendance to add to Suboi's upbeat energy, while Sunday was more low-key, winding down a successful Melting Pot weekend with the bulk of the festival's dance performances as well as a few final musical acts.
