The 2018 Vietnamese Lunar New Year Celebration was held in Grand Rapids on Saturday, Feb. 17. This is the year of the dog.
The event started with a children's festival. Then in the afternoon there was the traditional ceremony, which began with an opening address and then 4,000 firecrackers were set off.
A short parade followed, and it ran from the Gillette Bridge to DeVos Place. In the parade there were performances from the Dragon and the Lion.
"Once every year, this is the biggest event for our community," said Phillip Nguyen, the President of the Vietnamese American Community of GR. "It's the most important holiday. Think of Christmas, Thanksgiving and Labor Day all combined."
The event then moved to the Knights of Columbus Hall for a concert and dance.
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