Get #BLESSED With Vientiane Cafe’s Lao New Year Dinner Pop-Up

Learn how to celebrate Lao New Year in style.

The Institute for Contemporary Art, Laos in the House, and Vientiane want to celebrate Lao New Year with you. They’ve teamed up with Lao activists, writers, and entrepreneurs for #BLESSED, a free pop-up celebration and dinner on Saturday, May 6th.

The event is co-presented by ICA’s Gather series, Philly-based poet Catzie Vilayphonh and Laos in the House, which gives Lao community members and artists the chance to share their stories on their own terms. The ceremony and dinner will take place on ICA’s outdoor terrace.

Organizers will walk guests through a baci or su kwon ceremony, used to mark special events like births, marriages, holidays, and festivals. The Lao meal prepared by Vientiane will be served to guests seated on the floor in the traditional style.

Special guest speakers include acclaimed Lao-American writer Bryan Thao Worra; Vientiane proprietor Sunny Panthavong, whose mother, Daovy Phanthavong, famously started the restaurant decades ago under a blue tarp in her West Philly backyard; entrepreneur Ammala Douangsyvanh of Rhode Island-based southeast Asian foods maker T.O. NAM Sausage; and representatives from the Virginia-based Lao Heritage Foundation.

While vegetarian dishes will be served, because of the focus on traditional Lao recipes, fish sauce will be used in most dishes.

To reserve your spot for the festivities, RSVP here.

ICA [Official]
Vientiane [Official]