One of the largest Hmong festivals in the country kicks off at St. Paul’s Como Park this weekend with sports competitions, food vendors, a new music showcase — and, for the first time, free admission. 

The Hmong International Freedom Festival drew more than 30,000 participants last year, said Khou Yang, executive director of United Hmong Family, which organizes the event. Waiving the entry fees should allow more people to attend this year, she said.

United Hmong Family received a $1.2 million state grant in 2023 to help with the cost of running both the Freedom Festival and St. Paul’s annual Hmong New Year celebration in the fall.

The funding also helped promoter Peter Chang, of the Rice Channel, get the event’s first music festival off the ground.

In past years, performers could participate in an open mic. But the two-day music Zoo Siab festival will have a lineup of over 20 Hmong artists including Ali Chang, Kenji Her, Pong Vang and Douachi Yang.

“We have some people that are local, some people that are coming from out of town and even some artists from California,” Chang said.

He said the artists are a mix of well-known and local artists in the Hmong pop, R&B and hip-hop genres who will perform on a stage designed for audience interaction.

“We wanted to provide a stage that does justice for the artists to want to perform and do a great show,” Chang said. “Hopefully we can create an experience that people want to come to every year.” 

Chang said it was challenging to pull together the music festival in a tight window of time. But he said he wanted someone from the community to help provide a bigger platform for Hmong artists. 

“If we don’t ever do it, then somebody else comes and does it for us,” Chang said.

The festival will have an opening ceremony featuring State Representatives Ethan Cha, chair of the Minnesota Asian and Pacific Caucus, and Fue Lee. 

Yang said Lee advised them through the grant process along with Representative Jay Xiong, but Xiong could not attend, so they invited Cha to take his place.

Over 50 food vendors will set up at the Freedom Festival, providing everything from traditional Hmong sausage, chicken wings, burgers, cheese curds and Korean corn dogs. 

Athletic competitions will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. The competitions feature popular Hmong sports like sepak takraw, also known as kick volleyball, as well as soccer, volleyball, flag football and cornhole. The winners will receive a trophy and additional training kits on Sunday at the award ceremony, according to Yang. 

Fees for sports teams weren’t waived, as those fees go to the payout for the winning teams, according to Yang. This year, with a possible increase in attendees, organizers implemented an admissions gate for sports teams to avoid the entry lines and get to the competitions on time.

Started as a backyard barbecue, the festival has grown to showcase the vibrance of the Hmong community in Minnesota and become one of the largest Hmong sporting events in the U.S., according to Yang. 

“It’s a great way to celebrate the community and get exposure to the sports and the music that the whole community has to offer,” she said.

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