Last year's Hmong New Year celebration in downtown St. Paul was a hit — so much so that the large turnout led to frustration. Organizers weren't prepared for so many people to attend, and many had to wait hours in long lines stretching down the sidewalk to get into the St. Paul RiverCentre.
But organizers made adjustments and say they are ready to handle the big crowds this weekend.
Organizers said they didn't expect the more than 39,000 attendees in 2022, the largest turnout in 42 iterations of the new year event, after a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The lines were pretty much log-jammed going up to the (ticket) windows," said Kalc Vang, the event chair from the United Hmong Family, a non-profit that organizes the event. "I know a lot of people were pretty frustrated."
Hmong New Year in downtown St. Paul is Minnesota's largest celebration of Hmong culture, showcasing the food, clothing, language, music and dance of the Hmong community. The Twin Cities boast the largest urban Hmong population in the country.
This year, organizers added online ticket sales for the event, which they hope will help shrink the wait. Those tickets are available online at rivercentre.org for the event running 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the convention center, 175 Kellogg Blvd. W.
Ticketholders will have their own queue, separate from those needing to buy tickets, said Mee Vang, president of the United Hmong Family.
"I feel like we're in a better shape because we have the online option and we're working in closer collaboration with the RiverCentre and police" on logistics, Mee Vang said.
The United Hmong Family also sold out 1,000 advance tickets this year at its offices.
This is the first year that all 106 vendor booths have sold out at the event, Mee Vang said. There will be over 35 dance teams competing at the celebration, along with a pageant and singing competitions.
Visitors attend the celebration from across Minnesota, the U.S., and from other countries.
Advance tickets will also be available for purchase in-person at the ticket windows from noon to 5 p.m. Friday.
