Smoke and flickering embers erupted in front of the Asian Garden Mall as colorful lions danced to ward off evil spirits and usher in the Year of the Horse.
Thousands gathered at the mall at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 17, to celebrate the first day of the Lunar New Year, marked by the first full moon of the lunar calendar. In Vietnamese communities, the holiday is celebrated as Tết.
Brandon Vu, an Anaheim resident, took the day off from work to celebrate the holiday and spend his afternoon with a few friends at the Little Saigon mall for the annual Fire Cracker Celebration. The group sipped sugar cane juice as they weaved through crowds to peruse the more than 200 shops and vendors.
“I don’t have much family in the U.S.,” Vu said. “But Tết gives me the opportunity to connect and celebrate with everyone here.”
Hundreds of people celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse at Asian Garden Mall’s 2026 Lunar New Year Firecracker show in Westminster on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Lion dancers perform while celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse during Asian Garden Mall’s 2026 Lunar New Year Firecracker show in Westminster on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Boys cover their ears during Asian Garden Mall’s 2026 Lunar New Year Firecracker show in Westminster on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Ryan Le, 4, left, and Roland Bui, 3, stay dry during a light sprinkle before the Asian Garden Mall’s 2026 Lunar New Year Firecracker show in Westminster on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Ken Chow performs Hung Gar Kung Fu during Asian Garden Mall’s 2026 Lunar New Year Firecracker show in Westminster celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Peter Tran dresses his toy poodle, Matt, in traditional clothing before the start of Asian Garden Mall’s 2026 Lunar New Year Firecracker show in Westminster on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Hundreds of people celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse at Asian Garden Mall’s 2026 Lunar New Year Firecracker show in Westminster on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) A little girl presses against a second-story window as she and hundreds of other spectators watch the 2026 Lunar New Year Firecracker show at the Asian Garden Mall in Westminster on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 8Hundreds of people celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse at Asian Garden Mall’s 2026 Lunar New Year Firecracker show in Westminster on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) ExpandPhuong Phan and her family flew in from Boston to celebrate the new year in Little Saigon.
“I wanted my kids to experience it. They don’t have these crowds, the atmosphere, back at home,” she said, motioning to her son and daughter, entertained by a small Chinese lion toy.
“I’m happy and excited that we’re able to celebrate with them here,” she said.
They’d attended the mall’s Flower Festival just two days earlier. The more than two-week-long festival featured hundreds of flowers and plants, including the popular holiday orchids and hoa mai trees, which are essential purchases for many Asian households to symbolize prosperity.
Before the family flies back to Boston later this week, Phan said her itinerary includes heading to Disneyland California Adventure to catch the theme park’s Lunar New Year parade and circling back to Little Saigon to explore some of the area’s restaurants and shops.
Asian Garden Mall’s firecracker show is just one of many celebrations, including parades and performances, planned around the county this month to welcome the new year.
On Saturday, the big Tết parade, which is broadcast from Westminster around the world, steps off at 9:30 a.m. It will travel down Bolsa Avenue between Magnolia and Bushard streets, featuring dozens of floats, marching bands, lion dancers, community groups and more.
“We like,” Phan said, “how the culture’s being really shown everywhere.”
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