Firecrackers shook Westwood as the Far East Center kicked off its Lunar New Year celebration, ushering in the year of the wood snake. Saturday, Feb. 1 was the first of the Far East Center's annual two-day celebration. Festivities continue on Sunday, Feb. 2, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with more lion dances, food and cultural performances.
The event began as tens of thousands of little noisemakers exploded at one end of the pavilion, sputtering bits of paper and gunpowder into the air as the crowd covered their ears. Mimi Luong, who's family has long owned this corner of Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, said it was good luck to be covered in the soot.
An enormous quantity of firecrackers make a whole lot of noise. Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteKa'niyah (8, from left), Quenzi (4) and Khlo (8) hold their ears before things got too loud and they were whisked away. Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Luong's family has put on this event for years, but it's grown to an enormous scale as she and other boosters of the Little Saigon Cultural District have worked to turn the area into a regional destination.
A pitch for a Business Improvement District here withered during COVID, but there's been a renewed push for coordinated branding and events along the corridor. Meanwhile, state officials are planning a Bus-Rapid-Transit project on the notoriously dangerous boulevard, which might improve safety and mobility.

Tran Nguyen-Wills, Mayor Mike Johnston's deputy director of outreach, said the throngs that attend events like this are proof that improvements here matter. Likewise, better infrastructure will be needed to realize the cultural hub people like Luong have envisioned.
"All of it is connected," Nguyen-Wills said, "We have to have all these things. You have to have safety. You have to have infrastructure."
This is an especially important place for her. When Luong's father and uncle were building the Far East Center, Nguyen-Wills's father was part of a community that gave time and labor to make it happen. He volunteered his skills as an electrician.
Council member Jamie Torres, Mimi Luong and council member Flor Alvidrez lead the parade kicking off Lunar New Year celebrations. Lauren Antonoff Hart/CPR NewsKids with lucky red envelopes waited to feed them to the lion dancers. Lauren Antonoff Hart/CPR News
The lacking infrastructure was pronounced Saturday, as hundreds of drivers filled the neighborhoods around the Far East Center. Nicki Nguyen said getting there was not easy.
"You're kind of having to walk in the street, because the sidewalks aren't wide enough or there aren't any sidewalks," she said, "So when you're talking about crossing Federal — which is what, a five- or six-lane highway? It's enormous."
She was glad to hear that the community, city and state are working towards better accessibility for events like this.
"[It's] just backing, support that we see you, we honor you and we want you to thrive," she said. "Federal is where we go for any type of minority foods. This is where we shop for groceries. This, for us, is representation of our culture."

Luong said she worries about the downsides of growth-oriented change, particularly the possibility that it will bring unattainably high housing prices to this historically low-income area.
Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López said centering community voices will be key to navigating those challenges. He helped name the corridor "Little Saigon" as a City Council member back in 2013 and worked on a similar cultural district along nearby Morrison Road,
"It's about bringing the beauty and the culture out of these neighborhoods and actually turning it into infrastructure that celebrates that," he said. "It's going to require that celebration, but it's also going to require city investment and city resources."

Walking that line, Luong said, is crucial.
"Working to keep this area alive and vibrant is my main goal," she said, "and continuing it for my kids, the younger generation."
Mimi Luong and Noah, her son, pause for a moment while she runs the festival Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteDenver Clerk and Recorder Paul López speaks to the crowd. Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite





