(Minghui.org) Thousands of visitors of all ethnic backgrounds flocked to the 27th annual Asian Festival in downtown San Antonio to celebrate Chinese New Year on February 1, 2014.

Falun Gong practitioners and many others, including lion dance performers and martial artists, welcomed the Year of the Horse at the Institute of Texan Cultures in the 7th largest city in the U.S.

As practitioners took turns demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises, festival patrons stopped to ask questions and pick up flyers with information about the practice and the local practice site. Children seemed especially drawn to the display, but more than a few adults also expressed sincere interest in finding out more about Falun Gong and some wished to learn the practice.

What began as a small family gathering to celebrate the New Year has since grown into a citywide celebration that includes other Asian communities as they get together to share their unique culture and traditions.