Join us for our annual Lunar New Year Family Festival, featuring special guests, workshops, music, and more! Welcome the Year of the Snake with us!

-Morning Session: 10 AM – 1 PM
-Afternoon Session: 2 PM – 5 PM

Check back shortly for full event schedule!

Tickets may be purchased at the door on the day of the event, starting at 10:30 AM for the morning session and 2:30 PM for the afternoon session, if capacity allows.

Family Festivals are bustling events with lots of sights, sounds, and aromas. There is limited stroller parking available, with a staff-operated lift used to reach the restrooms and lower level spaces. We recommend families with sensory concerns join our MOCACREATE Lunar New Year Makeover events to celebrate the holiday.

Due to the limited capacity of the museum and efforts to adhere to safety guidelines, families may have to wait to enter the museum during peak times.

Schedule:

10:15 AM: Ya Ya Preschool Presents: Family Concert & Storytime

Join Ya Ya Preschool for a family concert and storytime– enjoy the beautiful sound of the guzheng and listen to a Ya Ya original story in Mandarin and English. Follow Xiao-She (little snake) and its friends on a journey to locate three magic stones, which allow them to make a special new year’s wish.

10:15 & 11:15 AM : The Great Race Gallery Hunt

In celebration of the Year of the Snake, spiral your way through the galleries and follow riddles that will lead you to some of your favorite serpentine friends.

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM: New Year Nibbles

Munch on sweet, bite-sized treats while you learn how each one brings flavor and fortune to the New Year.

11:00 AM, 11:30 AM & 12 PM: Tang Yuan for Togetherness: Workshop & Sampling with Auntie Lin

Learn to make homemade tang yuan, sticky rice balls with sweet or savory fillings, with Auntie Lin. Traditionally enjoyed during the winter solstice and the Lantern Festival, these meaningful treats represent togetherness and family reunion. We’ll be making savory tang yuan.

11:15 AM : Fanciful, Floating Fans: Fan Dance Workshop

Get ready for an exhilarating workshop with dancer and choreographer Mei-Yin Ng. Dive into the art of holding and manipulating fans, as you master basic dance movements. Then watch an electrifying fan dance. Follow along as the fan floats gracefully in the air and snaps open and close in a celebration of movement and rhythm.

12 PM: Whirling, Twirling Ribbons: Ribbon Dance Workshop

Watch an elegant ribbon dance by dancer and choreographer Mei-Yin Ng, founder of the Laurel Project, then craft a simple ribbon of your own and learn how to make it twirl through the air! Audience participation encouraged!

12:15 PM : MOCAKIDS Storytime: Lunar New Year Legends

 Join a MOCA educator for a special retelling of the legend of the Nian monster and learn why people put up red decorations during Lunar New Year. Then explore more Lunar New Year traditions in Amy Wu and the Lantern Festival by Kat Zhang. Practice your Mandarin vocabulary, sing a celebratory song, and move your body to the beat.

12:30 PM :The Mane Event: A Lion Dance Performance with the United East Athletics Association

Round out the Festival with a dazzling southern lion dance by the United East Athletics Association lion dance troupe. Move to the rhythm of the drumbeat and learn just what it takes to be the head and tail of the lion— you’ll even get to learn a move or two! Afterwards, sneak a peek inside the lion costume!

10 AM – 1 PM: Drop-In Arts & Crafts,

S-S-Serpentine S-S-Swirls
Design captivating coils that come to life as you color and cut a spiral snake that will have you hissing with excitement.

Snake, Rattle & Roll Noisemakers
PoP! BaM! BoOm! Make and embellish a decorative noisemaker to scare away the legendary Nian monster. Use it to usher in good luck by decorating the Museum or your home.

Lucky Lions
Shoo away bad luck by creating your very own lion mask from cardstock, metallic paper, pom poms, and more. Move its eyes and mouth just like a lion dancer!

New Year Blooms with Teaching Artist Yu Rong

Lunar New Year, also called the Spring Festival brings to mind new growth and new beginnings. Welcome the new year by making lucky plum, cherry, and peach blossoms using tissue paper, watercolor, and special red envelopes.

New Year Wishes with the ALT Ally
Take a break from the digital buzz at our pop-up Lunar New Year Post Office, open for one day only. Send heartfelt wishes to loved ones with old-fashioned handwritten mail! Legend has it that everything comes true through the “wishing” post office… A limited edition, artist-created Year of the Snake Craft Box will be also available for purchase.

ALT Ally is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to advancing well-being through the intersection of art, law and technology. We collaborate with multidisciplinary AANHPI artists to deliver programs and campaigns that inspire creativity and foster social-emotional growth.

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