EDMONDS, Wash. — On Saturday, thousands of people throughout western Washington are celebrating Lunar New Year and crowds flocked to the Lunar New Year Edmonds celebration, which is one of the largest celebrations in the state.
"It is a time of like celebration, and kind of rebirth and start things new," said Karin Butler, an event organizer with the Multicultural Association of Edmonds.
People across the world, and right here at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, are celebrating the Lunar New Year.
"It just warms my heart. This is what we hoped for when we created this event,” said Butler. “It’s just people coming together, in community for a celebration, a cultural celebration, that we can all share in."
The organizers of the third annual Lunar New Year Edmonds celebration featured several performances from Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) groups.
The even introduced hundreds of people to what makes this holiday so special.
"I was honestly in tears,” said Butler. “They told me it was standing room only. I walked out there; we made sure the lion dance went outside because so many people are out there and it's just magical."
Magic that is felt by several families attending for the first time.
"Exposing him to different cultures in general I think is a huge part of growing up and the more we can do that,” said Lucas Fuentes who attended the event with his son. “Traveling isn't always easy with the little ones, so when different cultures to our community to come out and support that is huge."
And huge for a community that wants be seen. "Understanding the diverse spaces and cultural celebrations of our community, they're not always seen in small towns and to have it be amplified in this beautiful way today, it's amazing," said Butler.