Looking for free fun in Seattle this weekend? Tết in Seattle: Vietnamese Lunar New Year Festival takes place Saturday, February 14, and Sunday, February 15, at Seattle Center. Part of the year-round Seattle Center Festál series, the festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day in the Armory Food & Event Hall and Fisher Pavilion. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
Read on for all the details!
Presented by Seattle Center Festál in partnership with Tết in Seattle (TIS), the festival celebrates Vietnamese American culture and traditions during the Lunar New Year. Over two days, guests can enjoy Vietnamese arts, music, performances, and hands-on activities. Highlights include traditional food, lion dances, a curated áo dài fashion show, and a free health fair offering screenings and medical services.
Tết, short for Tết Nguyên Đán (“Feast of the First Morning of the First Day”), marks renewal and new beginnings. It falls on the first day of the Lunar New Year, usually in late January or early February, and lasts three to five days. Families reunite, reflect on the past year, and pray for good fortune. Homes are cleaned, new clothes are worn, and streets are decorated. Altars are prepared to honor ancestors with special foods such as bánh tết and bánh chưng. Red and yellow, symbols of luck, are widely displayed, and the traditional áo dài is commonly worn.
Tết in Seattle is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996 to preserve and celebrate Vietnamese culture. It hosted its first Festál event at Seattle Center in 1997. Seattle Center Festál is a year-round series of 25 free cultural festivals presented with community partners and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022.
For more info, a list of vendors, and a detailed schedule of events, visit the Seattle Center website.