Hmong New Year Celebration Closes Out 2018 Festál Season

Transform your cultural awareness at Seattle Center Festál: Hmong New Year Celebration, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 3 at Seattle Center Armory. This multi-generational harvest festival - now entering its fourth decade - seeks to preserve, promote and share its ethnic culture with the broader community as it showcases the intricate needlework, impressive clothing patterns, music, dance and long-rooted traditions of the Hmong people.

Hmong New Year celebrates the end of the harvest season when all work is done, which is fitting to close out another fantastic year of Festál events. Take part in Hmong dancing featuring traditional instruments such as the "Qeej" (flute) and "Xim Xaus" (2 string violin). A gallery featuring Hmong history tells the story of the great migration and how the United States became home, along with video, photos and interactive displays highlighting the Hmong lifestyle.

Musical artists, Tou Ly Vangkhue and Tsab Mim Xyooj, join the festival this year as special guests. Tou Ly Vangkhue was one of the first musicians to come out with an album after the secret war in Vietnam. His passion to inspire the Hmong communities that had resettled in the United States has made him highly regarded in the Hmong community.

For more information and full schedule of events, visit: https://www.facebook.com/hmongofwa/

Seattle Center Festál brings to light the culturally rich communities who shape the character of our region. Although the series began in 1997, its origins stretch back to when ethnic communities were planting their roots here. For many of them, Seattle Center served as a central place, where they could invite the public to join in their unique cultural expression. Some festivals were formed in response to wars or ethnic displacement and others to unite their communities, educate the public and dispel stereotypes. Now at 21 years, Festál producers are seeking to sustain their festivals with compelling programming that appeals to multiple generations.

Seattle Center Festál is a public program presented by Seattle Center in partnership with Hmong Association of Washington. Admission is free of charge. For more information on this festival, visit hmongofwa.org, and to learn more about this collection of ethnic cultural events and other Seattle Center public programming, visit www.seattlecenter.com or call 206-684-7200.

About Seattle Center Festál

This illuminating series of 23 ethnic cultural festivals on weekends throughout the year seeks to connect people in ways that build understanding, dispel stereotypes and generate pride among the generations who participate in these shared experiences. Seattle Center Festál is produced with the generous support of KUOW 94.9 Public Radio, Coca-Cola, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, 4Culture. the City of Seattle and Seattle Center Foundation.