Celebrate at the Tet Festival in Balboa Park

This weekend, local residents will see Balboa Park turned into a festival filled with dragon dances, authentic Vietnamese food and excitement for the new year.

The Seventh Annual Tết Festival, which will ring in the Year of the Dragon is organized by the Vietnamese-American Youth Alliance.

The festival takes place from 5-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

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

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.

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.

The Saturday morning slate features an opening ceremony with state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, Rep. Bob Filner (D-San Diego) and county Supervisor Ron Roberts. Other events include the lion dance, firecrackers, cultural dances and the Miss Vietnam Pageant.

Nguyen suggests an area to check out – 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 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 put on entirely by a crew of 400 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,” 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 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.”