At the start of the celebration, members of the Buddhist/Lao community were able to pray close to the Monks and give offerings.
On April 25, members of the Laotian community hosted a Lao New Year Celebration, sharing their culture, traditional clothing, food and dances. The festival officially began at 8 a.m., with members of the Buddhist community praying alongside five monks from different parts of Indiana to mark the start of the Lao New Year. Everyone went home at 12 p.m. to cook and prepare for the second part of the celebration, which included dancing, karaoke, guest dances and a fashion show. There was no cost to enter and all members of the community were welcome to join in at any time during the celebration as a way to spread awareness and culture of the Lao community. The festival was hosted under the newly built pavilion next to the community kitchen.
