Featuring numerous competitions, vendors and Vietnamese cuisine, the 30th anniversary of San Jose’s Tet Festival  is expected to draw 40,000 to 70,000 people to Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on January 21-22.

With a Vietnamese population of more than 100,000 residents—about 10 percent of the population—the San Jose Tet Festival is the largest Vietnamese New Year celebration outside of Vietnam, according to organizers. This year the festival will feature 108 performers at 39 locations at the fairgrounds and 120 food venders, says Hung Xuan Le, festival event manager. 

Tet, a celebration of the lunar new year, is one of the most important holidays in Vietnamese culture. There are several customs and traditions associated with the holiday, including giving away lucky money to children and the elderly, family reunions and holiday meals.

The San Jose Tet celebration has not always been so large. Lien Hoi, the nonprofit that has organized the festival for 30 years, hosted the first few celebrations in backyards. The first large Tet festival was held at San Jose High School in 1982, where photo and art exhibitions were displayed in classrooms and food and games were offered on a small lawn outside. Since the festival’s debut at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, it has grown exponentially.

This year, the festival celebrates the year of the dragon and hosts a Taekwondo martial arts tournament, a table tennis tournament, poker and chess tournaments, and a singer search competition. A fashion show will also be on site, along with the Miss Tet Pageant, a contest that awards scholarships to young Vietnamese women. Face painting, games, rides, traditional arts and crafts will be available for children. The opening ceremony begins at 11am on January 21.

Admission is $12 adult and $8 children and parking is $10.