Around 1,500 Cambodian Americans, family, and friends braced the unusually hot April weather to attend the 14th Khmer New Year Street Festival in Peralta Hacienda Historical Park on Saturday.
The annual festival honors those who were killed during the Cambodian Genocide by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s and celebrates the resilience of the Khmer people, including the diaspora.
Since 2003, Oakland’s Peralta Hacienda Historical Park has also been the home of a garden tended by Saechao and other elder Iu Mien—an ethnic group with communities in Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, where they have been growing mustard greens, sugar cane stalks, and snap peas.
Attendees enjoyed a religious ceremony where Buddhist monks filled Alms bowls, one of only six physical items that a monk can possess, with rice.
Cambodian elders gathered under canopies to enjoy dance performances put on by younger generations who are embracing their heritage.
Some of the women who attended the festival wore traditional silk-woven sampot attire. These dresses and skirts are intricately embroidered with colorful patterns.
Vendors sold traditional food and drinks while clustered around tables to work on arts and crafts.
The festival got its start in 2011 as an interactive exhibit titled “Rhythm of the Refugee: A Cambodian Journey of Healing.” It showcased stories and photographs from the thousands of Cambodians who settled in the East Bay and explored the ways they carried the trauma of what they witnessed from war and genocide. The reluctance of some Cambodians to share their experiences created a generational divide in the East Bay and other Cambodian-American communities, leaving many feeling disconnected from their heritage. The festival continues to be a way to heal and teach the younger generation to embrace tradition and culture.
Local resident Sambo Ly managed to escape the Khmer Rouge and settled in the United States, first in Texas, then moving to Oakland in 1985. Ly shared her story as part of the exhibit from 2011. She is also one of the cofounders of the festival and continues to help shape it.
Ly said that a fellow Cambodian community member had a wish to have a New Year celebration in the East Bay. That idea played a role in the development of the festival and its importance to take place every year.
Ly manages the Alameda Health System’s interpretation services and its Refugee Health Clinic, where she has worked for over four decades. She also founded Cambodian Community Development, Inc., and the nonprofit Cambodian Family and Children Services, two nonprofits that support immigrant communities.
“This is one day that we want our community to come, share our culture, and share our food,” Ly said. “It’s a day of healing when we come together.”
Photographer Estefany Gonzalez was on site to capture it all.
Lion dancers hold a sign that reads “Fire horses melt ice” as they perform at the Khmer New Year Festival at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park on Saturday, April 4, 2026. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
Juliana Phaisan-Yem performs with the Morodok Angkor dance group. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
Sambo Ly is a cofounder of the festival and an active community member helping other Cambodian families navigate language barriers and help obtain social services. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
The festival included live music that mixed traditional Cambodian and American sounds. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
Lulu Lam, center left, and friends enjoy food at the Khmer New Year Festival. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
Cambodians of all ages gathered under the sun to enjoy the performances at the festival. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
Some took their performances throughout the park. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
Festival organizers have helped a younger generation of Cambodian Americans to embrace their rich culture. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
Laysin Meng, left, and first time attendee Salote Lanivia. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez
The festival has served as a way for the Cambodian community to heal and to help preserve their traditions. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
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