Happy Lunar New Year! Festivals featuring lion and dragon dancers, firecrackers and great food mark the changeover from the Year of the Monkey to the Year of the Rooster. Here are a few celebrations happening across the state.
Read about Glenda Joe, the woman behind Houston’s epic Lunar New Year celebration.
Jan. 28
Chinese New Year Festival, Crow Collection, Dallas
Expect great performances every hour from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., including lion and dragon dances, face changers, kung fu and more. Also participate in art-making activities, have your face painted, take a kung fu class, enjoy food and more. 2010 Flora St.
Fire Rooster Lunar New Year, Grand Prairie
Asia Times Square’s free two-day Fire Rooster Lunar New Year celebration, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28-29, features long lines of live fire crackers, multiple lion dances, martial arts demonstrations, food and more. 2526 W. Pioneer Parkway, Grand Prairie.
Lunar New Year Festival, Chinese Community Center, Houston
Lunar New Year Festival from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, features traditional performances by Polynesian dancers, face-changing Chinese opera, a mariachi band that performs Chinese songs, art demonstrations, and food. 9800 Town Park Drive.
Lunar New Year Celebration, Asia Society, Houston
Delve into cultural crafts, snack on treats and learn about the animals of the zodiac from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 28. 1370 Southmore Blvd.
The museum celebrates the Year of the Rooster from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, with its centerpiece exhibit, Emperors’ Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Take 30-minute guided tours of the exhibit and then create your own paper lanterns, learn calligraphy and decorate fortune cookies. 1001 Bissonnet.
Feb. 4
Viet Hoa Center’s annual two-day celebration is the largest such celebration in the state, and is most festive with more than 100 dancing lions and dragos, as well as firecrackers on the hour. Of course, there will be delicious foods, martial arts demonstrations, kid zones and more from Feb. 4-5. 8388 W. Sam Houston Parkway South.
Texas Lunar Fest, Houston
The Texas Lunar Fest, Feb. 4, features Shaolin monk students performing iconic lion and dragon dances that set the tone for a lively, festive atmosphere with a musical world tour that includes Mexican folkloric ballet, Brazilian samba, hip hop, ballroom dancing. Also, experience the Peking Opera, tai chi and Kung Fu. 11122 Bellaire Boulevard.
