Last Saturday, the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall turned into a sea of red, gold and kramas as the Asia Pacific Cultural Center threw its 28th Annual New Year Celebration, this year spotlighting Cambodia. Families streamed between performance stages, food courtyards and vendor aisles for lion dances, martial arts showcases and hands-on cultural activities. The free, all-day festival has grown into one of the region’s biggest yearly gatherings for Asian and Pacific Islander communities, and it looked every bit the part.
The event is billed as a free, family-friendly festival running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with more than 20 performances, martial arts demonstrations and a bustling vendor marketplace, according to the Tacoma Dome event listing. The venue also shared security and entry guidelines to help keep the big crowd moving smoothly.
Inside the hall, guests were ceremonially wrapped in lightweight, checkered kramas, mugged for photos at prop-filled booths and lined up for a courtyard packed with food trucks. As reported by Northwest Asian Weekly, volunteer Kai Jon Dela Paz and author-illustrator Kiri Schwiet were among those helping bring Cambodian traditions to center stage, and the paper noted that the celebration drew thousands. Organizers used the occasion to spotlight recent milestones and pointed out that APCC will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year.
APCC's New Home and Growth
Last year, APCC cut the ribbon on a new building in Tacoma that the organization says will allow it to expand cultural programming, youth services and mental-health supports. The center describes the facility as a state-of-the-art hub for classes, performances and community services, according to the Asia Pacific Cultural Center.
APCC also partnered with the Low Income Housing Institute to create senior housing: Patsy Surh Place opened in May 2025 and offers 77 affordable units for older adults, state officials noted at the building's grand opening. The development, named for APCC founder Patsy Surh O'Connell, was hailed by local and state leaders as a model for culturally responsive senior housing, according to the Washington State Department of Commerce.
Community and Continuity
Patsy Surh O'Connell, who launched APCC in the 1990s and still heads the organization, used the celebration to underscore that immigrant communities are woven into the region's fabric and to invite the broader public to come experience a range of cultures. Staff and volunteers said the festival is as much about passing traditions to younger generations as it is about putting on a show. Attendees talked about a charged, welcoming energy on the floor that organizers say helps build civic connections across language and cultural lines.
APCC’s calendar continues into the spring with smaller cultural days and workshops that will lead into the center’s 30th-year programming. For details on upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, visit the Asia Pacific Cultural Center.
