Thousands are expected at downtown St. Paul’s RiverCentre this weekend as Minnesota’s Hmong community celebrates the Hmong New Year.

The 38th annual cultural event features traditional dance, music, food, crafts and dress. A variety of commercial vendors will also be on hand for the event Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which coincides with the Miss Hmong Minnesota pageant.

Doors are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. all three days. Tickets are available at RiverCentre, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd. Adult admission is $7; seniors 62 and older (ID required) pay $4; and children under 4 are free.

“The new year is an exciting time for Hmong people all over the world and a time for community members to come together to celebrate our culture and traditions,” ChuPheng Lee, president of the Lao Family Community of Minnesota, said in a news release. “The Hmong American community is an important part of Minnesota’s vibrant social fabric. The Hmong New Year coincides with Thanksgiving weekend and is a time to be with family, celebrate, and share. We are pleased to welcome Hmong and non-Hmong to celebrate with us.”

The Lao Family Community of Minnesota, a grass-roots nonprofit assistance program focused on helping Hmong-Minnesotans, is hosting the event, which draws visitors from around the world.

The Hmong traditionally staged New Year’s festivals after the rice harvest, usually in November or December, in their former homeland in Laos. They continued the tradition after immigrating to the United States as refugees following the Vietnam War, during which thousands of Hmong — an ethnic minority in Laos — fought in the CIA’s secret war against the communists.

Minnesota has the largest urban Hmong population in the world, totaling more than 66,000, according to the 2010 U.S. census.