Fremont City’s First Lunar New Year Celebration Unites Diverse Cultures to Celebrate the Festival.

The Asian community in Fremont held a Chinese New Year celebration for the first time on February 1st at San Francisco Bay University in Fremont, attracting nearly 500 residents from the community.

The event was organized by the Bay Area Hong Kong Community Center (Bay Area HKCC) and received sponsorship from former Fremont Mayor Lily Mei and City Planning Commissioner Benjamin Yee.

The lively lion dance kicked off the celebratory event. Mr. Alex Woo from the Hong Kong Community Center, the organizer of the event, told Epoch Times that this was the first time the Asian community in Fremont had organized a Lunar New Year celebration, with around 11 to 12 groups participating. Seven of these groups put on exciting performances and there were cultural booths set up, aiming to encourage more community residents to participate and promote cultural exchange.

Several elected officials from Fremont attended the event, including Mayor Raj Salwan, Councilmembers Yang Shao, Raymond Liu, and Kathy Kimberlin. Former Mayor Lily Mei also made a special appearance.

Mayor Salwan told Epoch Times that the significant Asian community in Fremont played a vital role in making the city one of the happiest in the United States.

Brad Fuster, Dean of Academic Affairs at San Francisco Bay University, expressed to Epoch Times that the school was honored to host the event and would continue to collaborate with the community and the city government to organize more similar activities.

Councilmember Yang Shao mentioned that individuals from various ethnic groups such as Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Burmese came together to celebrate the contributions of Asians to society and to uphold cultural values, making him feel “very heartwarming.”

He hoped that through this opportunity, blessings could be shared with the diverse community in Fremont.

Raymond Liu, 27 years old, who won his first election by a slim margin of 41 votes against incumbent Teresa Cox to become the youngest council member in Fremont’s history, shared with Epoch Times that seeing everyone gather together made the event particularly meaningful for him.

The event featured vibrant performances from multiple ethnic groups, including Cantonese pop song performances, Chinese kung fu, Korean traditional dance “Katuri,” Vietnamese and Burmese song and dance, a performance by the Chinese American Special Children’s Program “Dream Team” band, and a soprano solo.

There were also multicultural booths on-site, offering various services, games, and information from organizations such as the Asian Pacific Family Center, West Valley Chinese School, and Tzu Chi. Food stalls were available as well, allowing participants to indulge in a rich cultural and culinary experience. ◇