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Native groups from Southeast Alaska began to arrive Tuesday for Celebration 2008, a three-day cultural festival expected to fill Juneau's downtown with crowds in colorful regalia sharing dances, songs, art and indigenous foods.

The event officially begins Thursday with the Grand Entrance, when dancers in button blankets and headdresses will drum, sing or shake rattles in a procession from ANB Hall downtown to Centennial Hall a few blocks away.

The Grand Entrance will be followed by three days of performances by dance groups from Alaska, Canada and the Lower 48, an art exhibit, artists' market, a parade and a variety of lectures and workshops focused on the region's Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures.

Event organizers say it's the largest cultural event in the state.

More than 2,000 dancers from 52 groups are scheduled to perform, and 5,000 people are expected to attend, according to Kathy Dye, spokeswoman for the Sealaska Heritage Institute, which sponsors the event.

Celebration is a modern creation that mixes traditional Native customs with new ways of recognizing culture. It has occurred every two years since its inception in 1982.

The event grew over the years to include recipe contests, language workshops and a baby regalia review, but it is still rooted in dancing. Dance groups from around the region prepared for months before traveling to Juneau to participate.

George Ramos, leader of the Mt. St. Elias Dancers, said about 70 people from the Yakutat group worked on four new songs created for the event. The group was chosen as the lead dance group this year, which allows them to lead the Grand Entrance, parade on Saturday and perform an exit dance that wraps up the festival.

The event has been successful in generating interest among younger generations about their culture, Ramos said.

"Celebration has proven that there is a lot of young people that want to learn who they are," he said.

SHI will announce winners of its juried art show tonight at the Juneau Arts & Culture Center during an art opening at 4:30 p.m. Nineteen artists submitted work in the contemporary and traditional categories and will be awarded a total of $7,500 in prizes.

SHI is sponsoring DNA testing during Celebration to determine if a young Native man who lived 10,300 years ago has living descendants in Southeast Alaska. Information from the DNA samples will be compared to DNA extracted from the remains, which were discovered by a paleontologist in 1996 in a cave on Prince of Wales Island.

Lead Researcher Dr. Brian Kemp, from Washington State University, and a team of colleagues will collect DNA samples from Native people Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the lobby of Centennial Hall.

While the events provide an opportunity to celebrate Alaska Native culture, everyone is invited to participate.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. today at Centennial Hall. Three-day passes are $12 for students and seniors, and $25 for adults. One-day tickets are $5 for students and seniors, and $10 for adults.