Got an idea for Hmong New Year celebration? Organizers want to hear about it

The Hmong New Year celebration, an annual event that draws thousands to the Big Fresno Fairgrounds, will grow this year with a greater focus on the youth, education and the non-Hmong community.

The leaders of Hmong Cultural New Year Celebration Inc. say that along with the traditional elements, including the ball toss, pageant competition and food specialties, there will also be new attractions. Those include a volleyball tournament, a “Kid’s Zone”, concerts and dance competition.

“As a new organization, we wanted to attract the younger generation with events that they would like,” said Vicky Xiong-Lor, a member of Hmong Cultural New Year Celebration, Inc. “We want to continue to pass down our cultural traditions but also provide something new, like a dance competition.”

And when Xiong-Lor says dance competition, she’s talking about contemporary dances like hip-hop.

“Some of our young people are very good at it,” she said.

Along with new events, Xiong-Lor says the group also plans to add an educational component to the event to help share the history of the Hmong, including their role during the Vietnam War, why they resettled in the U.S. and their current contributions. On its Facebook page, they are also asking the community for ideas to bring to the New Year’s celebration.

Already, people have suggested more entrances, lower prices on food, art competition, discount days, a daily list of events, and professional entertainment.

For non-Hmong visitors, there will be guided tours of the festival – a first at the event.

“We think this is a great opportunity for the larger community to get to know us a little better,” she said.

Hmong New Year is expected to attract more than 120,000 people during its seven day run, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1. The new group won the contract to host the celebration by outbidding the longtime organizer of the event, the Hmong International New Year Foundation. The winning bid was $352,000.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Got an idea for Hmong New Year celebration? Organizers want to hear about it."