MUKILTEO — Hundreds of people packed into Mukilteo’s Rosehill Community Center on Thursday to eat food and watch performances as part of a celebration of the start of the Lunar New Year.
This year, Lunar New Year, a holiday marking the start of the year on traditional Chinese calendars, falls on Tuesday, beginning the Year of the Horse. The holiday is celebrated in numerous countries, particularly in east and southeast Asia.
The event, organized by the city’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission, featured performances from dancers and young Taekwondo students. Attendees ate food from local Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants, and had access to a free buffet thanks to the Korean Community Service Center, which sponsored the event.
Simon Bai, a member of the DEI commission who also holds a board seat at the Mukilteo School District, said the commission organized the event along with the city to recognize the Asian American community, the largest minority group in Mukilteo.
“It’s for that community to experience and really celebrate the culture together,” Bai said Thursday. “But not only that, celebrate together with everyone in Mukilteo and the wider area to share their culture. It’s a way to bring the entire community together.”
It was the first Lunar New Year celebration hosted by the city of Mukilteo, Bai said. A memo written in October 2025 by members of the DEI commission stated that the event was modeled by other cities that host Lunar New Year festivals, and the hope is to continue the event annually, building upon each year’s successes.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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