Cambodia Town Parade & Festival
The Cambodia Town Parade and Cultural Festival, which returns for its 16th year on Sunday, April 7, has evolved into one of Long Beach’s most popular community events. Still, one feature has remained consistent throughout: its call for peace.
This year’s theme for the event is “Celebrating A Culture of Peace and Unity” and, to that end, it will begin with an interfaith service. The parade itself will feature multiple grand marshals representing various religions and communities while attracting a diverse crowd in the thousands, as will the festival that directly follows it.
“We are trying to make sure everybody is represented,” said parade board member Richer San. “The parade and festival have always been about peace and unity, not only in our community but for everybody. I think this is why the parade and festival continue to grow each year.”
This free event commences at 10 a.m. at Anaheim Street and Cherry Avenue, with the parade traveling west on Anaheim until it finishes about a half-mile later at MacArthur Park (1321 E Anaheim St). There, from 1-5 PM, the festival takes center stage, with multiple performers representing not only Khmer culture but many others including Filipino and Pacific Islander.
There will also be many local Khmer artisans, lots of games and attractions for kids and, of course, food. As in the past, there will be several food booths at the festival, but festival goers will also be encouraged to try out the many nearby restaurants in Cambodia Town.
“We have all kinds of Cambodian food. We welcome people to walk around and try it all,” San said. “Along with peace, this event also allows us to promote our community, welcoming people into it. We love seeing people going into our restaurants and shops along the Anaheim corridor.”
The event traces its origins back nearly 20 years and has the distinction of being the first Cambodian parade held outside of Cambodia itself. Richer San, part of the parade’s board of directors, says the event was and remains dedicated to serving as “a unifying force,” witnessing the fact that the theme of last year’s event was “Stop Hate With Love.”
Last year, several thousand attended the parade and festival, with about five million following the activities on social media.
As it has over the course of its decades-plus growth, the success of this year’s event is the result of the financial input of many in and around Long Beach, as well as the efforts of countless volunteers putting in countless hours. To donate or volunteer, visit the Cambodia Town webpage.
“It’s the volunteers who make sure this happens every year,” San said. “This year it’s going to be bigger and better, and the volunteers are the ones who do that.”
