(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Pikes Peak Region came together on Saturday, Feb. 8, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, ushering in the Year of the Snake.

The Refugees and Immigrants United, Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, and the Filipino-American Community of Southern Colorado collaborated to host the vibrant event. Guests enjoyed a variety of performances, crafts, and activity booths, with local organizations offering information and engaging experiences.

Lunar New Year Day was established two years ago as an officially observed state holiday in Colorado on the first Friday of every February.

“We wanted to bring that joy and that celebration to Colorado Springs, because that’s something I think we have been wanting, not only individually, but as a community, to have that positivity and to have that diversity and to have that culture that is so important for the fabric of Colorado Springs as well as Colorado,” said Ng Vu’o’ng Sandoval, Executive Director of Refugees and Immigrants United.

In a bid to honor the cultural diversity of the event and community, attendees were encouraged to wear traditional attire from their countries of origin.