Nowruz, or New Day, is held on the first day of the Spring and is one of the major celebrations in the Persian-speaking world, including Iran and its diaspora. 

While there are numerous Nowruz events all across Southern California, the Nowruz festival and parade on the UCLA campus, hosted by the Farhang Foundation, is one of the largest in the area.

Marking of the new year is meant to take place simultaneously worldwide at the exact moment of Spring Equinox. However, public community events in SoCal are often held the weekend before Nowruz for ease of participantion. 

As the participants walk down the UCLA Dickson court, Nowruz songs are played using the Iranian woodwind instrument Sorna and frame drum Daf.

Before the Nowruz parade, organizers hold a kick-off party where some of the participants can pick out their costumes for Nowruz walk on the UCLA campus.

Wearing traditional clothes for Nowruz is not a common practice in Iran. In Los Angeles, however, costumes are an integral component of the event's public spectacle. Some of the organizers and attendees (both children and adults) don a variety of these colorful costumes during the Nowruz parade. 

Haft-Seen is the arrangement of seven symbolic items whose names start with the letter س (S)  in Farsi—such as Sabzeh (sprouts), Seeb (apple), and Sumac, complemented by sweets, flowers, and colored eggs.

Almost everyone attending the event takes the obligatory photo with or of the Haft-Seen table, as well as with those dressed in traditional costumes. 

Barbies and Ken Dolls dressed in various traditional costumes make an appearance on  the Haft-Seen table next to wheat sprouts and a basket of colored eggs.

Children are introduced to Nowruz-related traditions through a range of activities like assembling a miniature Haft-Seen of their own, playing games, or watching puppet shows.

Nowruz attendees watch dance performances throughout the day, and take pictures with the new addition to the festival: stilt walkers that represent characters traditionally associated with Nowruz, including Naneh Sarma, Haji Firouz, and Amoo Nowruz.