See our 2017 Seattle Lunar New Year calendar.
The Lunar New Year begins on Monday, February 8. As Angela Garbes wrote in her food feature this week, "even though it doesn't get the fanfare that New Year's Eve meals get, for Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese people, Lunar New Year is a deeply significant holiday." But in Seattle, there are several public events to mark the occasion, from a free celebration at the Asian Art Museum to the Chinatown-International District's giant festival to a Heineken party at Trinity. See them all below, or on our Lunar New Year calendar.
FEB 5
1. GASP: Lunar New Year
Delicious goth, industrial, EBM, synth pop, and all manners of -wave will be present at GASP's sixth birthday/Lunar New Year celebration at Mercury.
FEB 6
2. Free First Saturday: Lunar New Year
In honor of the Lunar New Year, the Asian Art Museum will have live martial arts performances, music, costumes, and "family friendly sketching tours" throughout the galleries.
3. Lunar New Year Fair
The Wing Luke Museum's celebration promises a lion dance, Lunar New Year Fair, interactive exhibit for kids, scavenger hunt, and moreâall free with museum admission.
4. Official Hennessy Party Lunar New Year
Celebrate the Lunar New Year the authentic, Hennessy way, with music by Moobek, Crowd CTRL, Alchemist, and more, plus fireworks, lion dancers, and giveaways of all sorts.
5. Heineken Lunar New Year
Does the thought of celebrating the Lunar New Year make you want to get down? Then get down to Trinity for a Heineken-sponsored evening of EDM/House/Hiphop and more at Trinity, with Heiny bottles going for a solid buck from 10 to 11 pm.
6. Northwest Tea Festival Lunar New Year Party
The Northwest Tea Festival is kicking off the 2016 World of Tea series with "exciting and delicious Chinese teas, but nothing picked by monkeys!"
7. Holly Zhang Pearl Gallery Celebration
Here's all we could find about this event: "Enter to win a Tahitian Saltwater Pearl Necklace and enjoy appetizers and drinks!"
FEB 7
8. ICHS Lunar New Year 5K
International Community Health Services' inaugural Lunar New Year 5K will help raise funds to support uncompensated patient care and highlight ICHS' Bellevue Clinic.
FEB 8
9. Lunar New Year Concert
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with dragon dancers, live music, and gambling.
FEB 13
10. Chinatown-International District Lunar New Year Festival
Ring in the year of the monkey at this community celebration in the International District. They promise "non-stop cultural performances," including dragon and lion dances, taiko drumming, bollywood dance, martial artsâplus tons of $3 options for food plates.
11. Lincoln International District Lunar New Year Celebration
The Lincoln International Business District's free celebration includes "world-class global cuisine" and performances from lion dancers and other groups.
12. Indonesia: 18th Annual New Year Celebration
Attendees can expect "70 booths of food, drinks, cultural arts, games, crafts" and more, plus live entertainment.
FEB 13-14
13. Táşżt in Seattle
Celebrate the Lunar New Year, Vietnamese-style, at Táşżt in Seattle. Check out Vietnamese art, music, and food for two days at the Seattle Center.
FEB 20
14. Lunar New Year at the Bellevue Collection
The Bellevue Collection's Lunar New Year celebrationâpresented in conjunction with the Seattle Chinese Culture and Arts Association, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, and the Taiwan Benevolent Association of Americaâwill feature cultural demonstrations (martial arts, music, dance, and visual arts).
