(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Washington State were invited to participate in the Lakefair Grand Parade in the city of Olympia, the state capital, on July 19, 2025. The group won a Mayor’s Award from the organizer and was invited to participate in the parade again next year.

The timing was particularly meaningful as it took place just before the 26th anniversary of the start of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution, which began on July 20, 1999. While the CCP is attempting to spread lies to slander Falun Dafa overseas, the people in these free lands are praising and commending Falun Dafa.

The parade is a highlight of Capital Lakefair, an annual summer festival in Olympia, held around Capitol Lake for five days. The festival features an amusement park, food stalls, music performances, a handcraft market, and the grand float parade. The festival began in 1957 and has a history of 68 years.

Falun Dafa Group Wins Mayor’s Award

Falun Dafa group received a Mayor’s Award from the organizer.

A practitioner held the Mayor’s Award during the parade.

“Thank You for Bringing a Beautiful Message”

Practitioners presented a float that was carefully decorated with auspicious cloud-like stuffs and origami lotus flowers of various colors. The float carried multiple practitioners in exercise uniforms and fairy costumes. Some of them demonstrated Falun Dafa’s five exercises, and some waved to the audience.

The Falun Dafa parade float

The float was designed, manufactured, maintained, and improved by practitioners with their selfless efforts over the years. Although the float is made of ordinary materials, it conveys an extraordinary message, showing the wonderfulness of Falun Dafa and emitting pure and positive energy, awakening people’s longing for Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

One spectator said, “Thank you for coming here, and thank you for bringing a beautiful message.”

Sounds of Waist Drums Inspires Righteousness

The practitioners’ waist drum team was full of energy and spirit, following the beautiful melody with their beats. They performed “Falun Dafa Is Good” and “Joyful Celebration” with dynamic rhythm, showing the audience divinely-inspired traditional Chinese culture. Their performance moved and inspired the spectators, responded with warm applause and cheers after each performance.

The practitioners’ waist drum team was greeted with warm applause and cheers.

A woman shouted to the practitioner’s group, “I love your performance! You are the best!” When she learned that many of the members of this waist drum team had been persecuted by the CCP in China, she put her hand on her chest to show her incomprehension and indignation about the persecution. She said that she admired practitioners even more after learning about what many of them had been through.

Another woman found practitioners at the end of parade and told them that she had been following the persecution of Falun Dafa for many years, and that she has always supported practitioners’ efforts to end the persecution. She said she had been praying for persecuted practitioners over the years, and she hoped that the persecution would end soon.

She talked to local practitioners from Olympia and wanted to learn more about practicing Falun Dafa in the local area.

Olympia, about 60 miles south of Seattle, is renowned for its vibrant history and artistic charm. There are many historical buildings in the center of the city, which is surrounded by forests, national parks, and water.