Celebrate the end of harvest season at Seattle Hmong New Year at Seattle Center | Nov 9

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A Vibrant Celebration of Food, Music, and Dance on November 9, 2024

SEATTLE - Seattle Center Festál closes out the 2024 series of cultural celebrations with Seattle Hmong New Year on Saturday, November 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (festival program) and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. (evening concert). Held at the Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall in collaboration with the Hmong Association of Washington, this free, family-friendly event is open to everyone.

"Our festival is special and unique, in the sense that we are the only Southeast Asian minority that is a part of Seattle Center and Festál. We celebrate our festival with much anticipation and enthusiasm since we host the festival for only one day in the entire year; this is the one day where everyone in the community gets to wear their choice of a unique and traditional Hmong outfit, gather together, and celebrate." - Asia P Lor (VP of Hmong Association of Washington & Event Co-Producer).

The Seattle Hmong New Year Festival honors the community's elders and celebrates the close of the harvest season. Attendees will enjoy traditional dances, delicious Hmong cuisine, and a showcase of the fashion of the Hmong diaspora-featuring elaborate textiles and clothing that carry the legacy of Hmong heritage.

This year's festival gives thanks to ancestors for the past year and welcomes the New Year. Guests can experience an extensive Hmong heritage exhibit of artifacts, embroidery design, and more in partnership with the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Other highlights include:

• Fashion of the Hmong Diaspora: intricate textile clothing showcasing unique styles and history
• Traditional dances and songs by local performers featuring Stella Luna, Blue Iris, Rainey Cha, Yer Vang, and more
• Pov Pob, a traditional ball-tossing courtship ritual
• Children's activities
• Vendor marketplace with arts, crafts, clothing, embroidery, and more
• Evening Concert with Carl Vue, Supryze, Gy Yang, and DJ Johnny

Guests can also sample foods from various vendors, such as K&P Lao Food, Mov Ntse-Dej - Rice Water, I Heart Hmong Sausage, Sap Sap Lao Deli & Café, and more.

"The Seattle Hmong New Year Festival is a celebration that shines a light on one of the many rich cultures that make Seattle vibrant," said Heidi Jackson, Managing Artistic Director, Cultural Programs, "We're honored that Seattle Center has hosted this event as part of the Festál Series since 1997."

Hmong New Year is the most significant holiday for Hmong communities around the world, giving thanks to ancestors and welcoming a fresh start. While traditionally celebrated over 10 days, the festival has been adapted for a single day in the United States, making it a concentrated and cherished community gathering.

For the full festival schedule, visit seattlecenter.com.

About Hmong Association of Washington

The Hmong Association of WA (HAW) started in 1983 to serve the Hmong American community in Washington. Today, based on the last census in 2010, there are more than 2,400 Hmong people in Washington. HAW aims to preserve and promote Hmong culture and education in the community and advocate for the Hmong people. It hopes to meet the diverse needs of Hmong refugee and immigrant communities in Washington through empowering resources.

More information on the festival is available at seattlecenter.com and hmongofwa.org.

About Seattle Center Festál

Seattle Center Festál is where the world gathers to celebrate the people, the places, the stories, and the traditions of diverse ethnic communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. This unique public program series links together 24 free festivals, each offering its own cultural focus, identity, and range of engaging activities to cultivate a deeper understanding of the diversity of our region. Seattle Center Festál is produced in partnership with community groups, presented on weekends from February to November, and supported by City of Seattle, Seattle Center Foundation, and 4Culture. Festál is also part of the ArtsFund Cultural Partners Network.

About Seattle Center

Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts, and family gathering place in the core of our city and region. Seattle Center's 74-acre campus, centered around the International Fountain, is part of the Uptown Arts & Cultural District and home to Climate Pledge Arena; more than 30 cultural, educational, sports, and entertainment organizations; and a broad range of public and community programs. In everything it does, Seattle Center's mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments which delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities.

Seattle Center has expanded its role to provide maintenance and public safety services for Seattle's new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle's downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and the Seattle Aquarium. Seattle Center supports managing these new waterfront public spaces in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Waterfront Seattle, which offers the community a range of recreational and cultural programming. Thanks to the support of Official Seattle Center Partners - Alaska Airlines, The Climate Pledge, Coors Light, Pepsi, Premera Blue Cross, Symetra, T-Mobile, and WaFd Bank - Seattle Center is the #1 arts and entertainment destination in the Pacific Northwest with 12 million annual visitors, generating $1.864 billion in business activity and more than $631 million in labor income annually. www.seattlecenter.com

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