Tet and Lunar New Year Festivals Bring Different Orange County Communities Together
- Kristina M. Garcia
- Jan 24
- 8 min read
The Year of the Snake symbolizes growth, wisdom and transformation. Here are some details on the major gatherings in O.C.
Orange County has a multitude of options for Lunar New Year. But this year is special because not only is it the Year of the Snake, which symbolizes growth, wisdom and transformation, but it is also the 50th anniversary of Black April (Tháng Tư Đen), also known as the Fall of Saigon.
While most of these events celebrate Vietnamese Lunar New Year, these celebrations are open for all the different communities that shape Orange County to embrace and learn about a culture they may not be familiar with.
“We hope that we can attract the community members, not just Asians, but everybody, because we want to make this event become a community event to share the new year celebration with everybody,” said Tina Lee, the city of Santa Ana’s Vietnamese community liaison.
Whether you celebrate Lunar New Year every year, or this will be your first time stepping out for the occasion, below are some family-friendly options to consider in Orange County.
Union of Vietnamese Student Association's Tết Festival in Garden Grove
Where: Garden Grove Park, 9301 Westminster Blvd., Garden Grove
When: Jan. 31-Feb. 2
Cost: $9 general admission, free for ages 2 years and younger
Contact: 714-576-6411, tetfestival.org
After immigrating from Vietnam, Minh Pham, UVSA Tết Festival marketing and opening ceremony advisor, stood on Tết Festival grounds in Garden Grove and recalls the overwhelming emotions he felt standing in a place that made him feel back at home.
“I remember that night I (stood) by the stage of the Tết Festival. I was so emotional when I (saw) the singing, all of the celebration, all of the organizing. I remember, I (said) one thing, ‘I wish one day I could be a part of the organizing committee,’” Pham said.
Then, a year later in 2010, Pham started his role in the festival as marketing staff.
The last time the event was in Garden Grove was in 2013. Now, the UVSA Tết Festival returns to its roots in Garden Grove Park after spending the past decade at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, according to the website.
From the UVSA Tết Festival at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. PHOTO 1: Lion dancers perform. PHOTO 2: A Vietnam veteran observes the national anthem. PHOTO 3: Musicians perform during a procession. PHOTO 4: Singers entertain the crowd. PHOTO 5: Boy Scout troop 980 carries the American flag during a procession. PHOTO 6: The 2024 Miss Vietnam of Southern California, Viviana Nguyen, was crowned during the 42nd annual UVSA Tết Festival. PHOTO 7: Grilled lobster. PHOTO 8: An ancestral procession walks across the OC Fair and Event Center. PHOTO 9: Wishes posted at the 42nd annual festival. PHOTO 10: A woman participating in the ancestral procession. Photos by Drew A. Kelley, Culture OC
“It's really amazing to see the festival grow every single year, especially since moving to OC Fairgrounds. But I think along the way, as it got further away from the Vietnamese community, it started losing touch with some of its roots,” said Maily Tran, UVSA Tết Festival chair.
Over the past few years, the festival’s entertainment programs were focused on getting more traction and getting bigger artists. But with the festival returning to Garden Grove Park, the committee has prioritized supporting local entertainment, as well as collaborating with community groups in Garden Grove that weren’t able to contribute while the festival was in Costa Mesa, Tran said.
For Saturday night’s Lunar Night, entertainment will be performed by local schools from middle school, high school and college. The performances will range from singing to dance groups, as well as traditional performances.
Sunday night’s program will be focused on supporting and uplifting emerging local artists.
Food and entertainment contests at the festival include pho eating on Saturday and Sunday, as well as milk tea drinking, sugarcane juice drinking and modern dance competitions on Saturday.
This year’s Tết Festival theme is “A Spring of Remembrance” or “Xuân Hoài Niệm,” to “honor the efforts of the Vietnamese community in building a home abroad,” as well as commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, acknowledging the lives lost and sacrifices made, according to the website.
“With this being such a unique year, we're both celebrating and commemorating,” Tran said. “And so with the theme being ‘A Spring of Remembrance,’ we want to celebrate the new year, but also acknowledge the sacrifices that our ancestors have made.”
The 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon sparked the initiative of returning the Tết Festival to the heart of Little Saigon, with the process starting back in May 2024. While the festival was able to successfully return to Garden Grove, the event is under a one-year contract.
“I have to say there is a lot of pressure this year to do well,” Tran said. “We're trying to prove to the city of Garden Grove that we can have a successful event, especially since it's been over 10 years since we've been back at the park.”
As the UVSA Tết Festival continues to change, one of its biggest changes this year is being able to bring back the community assistance fund. The community assistance fund is a grant application that is open for nonprofits throughout Southern California to apply for.
“Because of (COVID-19), we couldn't do our grant process for a little bit, and it took some time for us to get in a place where we were able to do that again,” UVSA president Eric Ngo said. “This year we are very excited to announce that we are donating 50% of our proceeds back to the community of Southern California.”
In particular, 20% of those proceeds will be going back to nonprofits in Garden Grove. The other 50% of the proceeds will be used toward UVSA programs that support leadership development for aspiring young leaders.
Tết (Lunar New Year) Festival in Santa Ana
Where: Centennial Park, 3000 W. Edinger Ave., Santa Ana
When: 1-6 p.m., firework show at 5:45 p.m. Jan. 25
Cost: Free
Contact: 714-647-5400, santa-ana.org
This marks the second year of Santa Ana’s Tết Festival where traditional Tết Lunar New Year in Vietnam is brought to Santa Ana through decorations, activities and entertainment.
“People can learn about how years ago the people in the village, the people in Vietnam, the way they celebrate with the decoration, the way that they share with family members and friends, so we can learn from each other,” Tina Lee said.
The Santa Ana Tết Festival had its first celebration last year during the Year of the Dragon. Lee said that since Thai Viet Phan, council member (and now mayor pro tem), was elected to city council in 2020, she has been proudly promoting and supporting the Vietnamese American community.
With Phan’s work and the support from all city council, a budget was granted to host the first Tết Festival last year and continue to make it an annual tradition this year, Lee said.
“Last year, it was very significant because last year it was the Year of the Dragon … Year of the Dragon is the most important one because dragons represent the king, the emperor,” Lee said. “That's why we were so glad that we were able to mark the important year with the celebration of the very first Tết in the city of Santa Ana in 2024.”
Images from the first Santa Ana Tết Festival in 2024. Photos courtesy of the city of Santa Ana
The festival will be from 1-6 p.m., starting an hour earlier compared to last year’s event. In collaboration with the Santa Ana Parks, Recreations and Community Services Agency and the Santa Ana Public Library, attendees can look forward to arts and crafts, food vendors, a scavenger hunt and a fireworks show starting at 5:45 p.m, to name a few of the festivities available at the event.
There will also be cultural performances (including a lion dance and dragon dance), live entertainment and drum performances.
“Most of the Asian celebrations, they want to bring the positive vibes to the event and also give people the excitement and represent the lucky,” Lee said.
She added, “That's why it is so significant to have these celebrations and old drum sounds, the dance from the lions and from the dragon; they believe that it will remove all the negative energy and all the bad luck with the noise of the drums, (scaring) the evilness away.”
With the event having a handful of partners and sponsors for the event, title-level partners include the Anaheim Ducks and the Asian American Senior Citizen Service Center.
The Anaheim Ducks will bring along their mascot Wild Wing and will offer activities and prizes at their booth. They will offer raffle tickets for a future game, and also give Santa Ana residents discounted ticket prices for their Lunar New Year Celebration game versus the Dallas Stars on Feb. 4.
The Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center will have games and prizes at its booth as well, but the center will also provide the festival’s first cultural exhibit as well as a variety of cultural performances on the main stage.
“This special occasion brings us together to share in the spirit of renewal while
honoring Santa Ana’s rich Vietnamese and Asian heritage and traditions. Let’s celebrate
new beginnings, unity and the promise of a bright year ahead,” said Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua in a statement.
Below are some more celebrations in Orange County:
2025 Tết Parade in Westminster
The Tết Parade in Little Saigon has been hosted by the City of Westminster for over two decades. The parade attracts Vietnamese communities from across the globe who tune in to watch the event which is broadcast on TV and social media platforms. This parade features floats, marching bands, lion dances, color guards, veterans and community organizations, martial arts, elected officials and an array of local and international businesses.
Where: Parade begins at the intersection of Bolsa Avenue and Magnolia Street, Westminster
When: Opening ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m.; parade starts at 9:30 a.m., Feb. 1
Cost: Free
Contact: 714-895-2860, westminster-ca.gov
Lunar New Year at Pretend City
This family friendly organization introduces children to the colorful traditions, cultural movement associated with the Lunar New Year. The Kishin Daiko Drummers will welcome attendees on both days of celebration, bringing the powerful energy, spirit, and heart of Japanese percussive-style drumming.
Where: Pretend City Children’s Museum, 29 Hubble, Irvine
When: 11 a.m. performance by the Kishin Daiko Drummers, Jan. 25 and 26. 2:30 p.m. Ane Thanh Lion Dance, Jan. 25 only.
Cost: Free to $19.95
Contact: 949-428-3900, pretendcity.org
Lunar New Year celebration at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
The Pacific Symphony presents their annual concert celebrating the new year with an evening of Eastern and Western music and dance.
Where: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
When: 8 p.m. Feb. 1
Cost: Between $54 to $127
Contact: info@pacificsymphony.org, pacificsymphony.org
