Nov. 11--It's likely that Little Saigon -- home for nearly three decades to the largest Lunar New Year celebration for overseas Vietnamese -- will miss hosting a Tet festival in 2016, officials say.
The two community groups who applied to organize the event in Garden Grove Park withdrew their application Tuesday, just hours before the City Council was to consider giving the festivities the go-ahead.
"This is just one of those things that you don't expect," said Kim Huy, community services director for Garden Grove.
"I understand how complicated it can be and how little time is left to plan an event of this size. Still, it's tradition," Huy added.
She said she received a letter from Richard Bui, who represents the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Assn. in Southwestern USA and the Tran Hung Dao Foundation, the nonprofits that had planned to hold the February festival.
Bui cited the short amount of preparation time and the challenge of finding enough donors, sponsors and volunteers, along with the expected El Niains.
In late October, the groups had stepped in to try to save the festival after Garden Grove officials announced their reluctance to endorse the first applicant. That applicant, the Vietnamese Community of Southern California, owes the city about $27,000 for security services from last year's festival.
Southern California won't be without a Tet festival, however. The group that owes Garden Grove money is holding its 2016 event in Fountain Valley. And the Union of Vietnamese Student Assns. of Southern California will have its own Tet festival at the Orange County Fairgrounds.
"I'm not surprised by all these changes. Our community is expanding in size and mobility and has been gravitating beyond Little Saigon," said festival-goer Brad Hoang.
"But now, while I'm sad that this tradition may end, I realize that you can recreate elements of Tet in your own home," Hoang said. "And if you need noise and games and fortune-tellers, you can hop in the car and just get directions to another city."
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