Lunar New Year events around the San Gabriel Valley
Across the San Gabriel Valley, people have planned Lunar New Year festivities to celebrate the Year of the Horse, which officially begins Friday, Jan. 31.
The Pacific Asia Museum will hold its fourth annual Lunar New Year Festival on Saturday, Jan. 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free event includes performances, crafts, demonstrations and access to museum galleries. It kicks off with a lion dance at 11 a.m. Other performances include Taiko drumming, traditional Korean folk dance and traditional Vietnamese dance. Arts and crafts will be available in the courtyard, and flower arrangement tutorials will be given in the auditorium.
Monterey Park will have a 2014 Lunar New Year Festival from Jan. 25-26. Lion and dragon dancers as well as firecrackers will ring in the celebrations Saturday morning. There will be live entertainment along Garvey Avenue between Garfield and Alhambra avenues, and vendors will sell specialty items and food from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days. There will be free shuttles at Ynez School, Mark Keppel High School and Barnes Park Service Club.
Chinatown will have a temple ceremony at Chuan Thien Hau Temple from 10 p.m. to midnight on Jan. 30. The free event at 750-756 N. Yale St. will include firecrackers, lion dancers and an opportunity for people to burn incense to usher in good fortune for the new year.
On Feb. 1, the free 115th Golden Dragon Parade & Chinese New Year Festival will kick off at Hill and Ord streets and end at Broadway and Cesar Chavez Avenue. Although festivities on Saturday last from noon to 8 p.m., the parade will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will be the grand marshal. On Feb. 2, the Chinatown festival will last from noon to 5 p.m.
Alhambra will have its 23rd Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Valley Boulevard gala will occur between Garfield Avenue and Almansor Street. There will be 250 booths, a dragon boat rowing station and cultural demonstrations.
From Jan. 13 to Feb. 16, Alhambra will also have a three-week art exhibit featuring Jack Liang’s artwork in the Alhambra City Hall, 111 S. First St. Entrance to both is free.
Rosemead will have its Lunar New Year Family Festival on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 9155 E. Mission Drive from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will have live local and professional entertainment, food trucks — such as Kogi BBQ — and vendors.