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Arts & Entertainment

Balboa Park to Transform Into a Lunar New Year Celebration

The annual Tết Festival will take place Jan. 20-22 in Balboa Park.

San Diego County residents will soon see Balboa Park turned into a festival filled with dragon dances, authentic Vietnamese food and plenty of excitement for the new year.

The Seventh Annual Tết Festival, which will ring in the Year of the Dragon, will take place Jan. 20-22 and is organized by the Vietnamese-American Youth Alliance.

This year’s festival’s theme is “Children of Dragons, Descendants of Gods.” The Lunar New Year’s commonly known traditions are children receiving money in red envelopes and bedazzled lions dancing in front of a crowd to bring good luck. Not to be confused with Chinese New Year, festival Co-Director Nikki Lam says that Tết is a Vietnamese label for the new year.

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For those new to the Tết Festival and unfamiliar with Vietnamese culture, Media Director Alexander Nguyen suggests coming on Saturday, which is packed with events all day.

“On Saturday morning, we’ll have an opening ceremony with dignitaries, such as State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, Congressman Bob Filner and County Supervisor Ron Roberts,” Nguyen said. “We will also be having the lion dance, fire crackers, cultural dances and the Miss Vietnam Pageant.”

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He suggests a notable area to check out is the Cultural Village, which has historical replicas of famous places in Vietnam, traditional games and activities for kids and plenty of dances.

For those seeking to broaden their palettes with Vietnamese cuisine, Nguyen encourages visitors to eat a fresh bowl of pho.

“Pho is a basic and standard Vietnamese dish that’s easy and has a lot of flavor,” he said. “All the ingredients are very recognizable. Also, try the Vietnamese egg roll, which is very different from the Chinese egg roll.”

The Tết Festival is composed entirely of volunteers, and Co-Director Kevin Quach admits there are some obstacles for this three-day celebration that attracts nearly 20,000 visitors.

“The fun part is putting on this big festival with a more-than-$100,000 budget that involves 400 manpower,” Quach said. “We have a core staff who run different committees and high school students who help out during the festival. It’s challenging when the manpower and volunteers aren’t there and people come and go as they please.”

However, Lam says the experience she has gained from coordinating this event is invaluable. 

“My favorite part of this event is being involved in every aspect of the Tết Festival,” she said. “That’s when you can truly appreciate and see the magnitude of the big-picture event. It’s great gaining knowledge and setting the image for what you want the festival to look like.” 

Parking is free for this event. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for children. Children 5 and under are free. For more information, visit www.SDTet.com.

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