Lunar New Year Celebration

This Saturday afternoon, the International District will be alive with exciting music, colorful costumes, and delicious food--all part of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration. It will be a unique cultural experience for family and friends to enjoy the entertainment of lion and dragon dances, taiko drumming, martial arts demonstrations, magic show, and a fun parade contest for children. Restaurants in the Chinatown area are also offering tasty $2 treats; those who visit three or more restaurants will be entered into a drawing for a prize . Since this also marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit, there will also be a live rabbit competition for bunny owners. The bulk of the day's festivities will take place in Hing Hay Park, and the surrounding neighborhood.

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festival in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. This year, the new year date is February 3, when the Year of the Rabbit will begin. As one of the calmer signs associated with the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is a sign of good fortune, which hopefully bodes well for 2011 after the more tumultuous year of the tiger. Any shutterbugs out there can also hook up with the Seattle Flickr Meetup group, which is planning on socially photographing the event.

Coinciding with the Chinese New Year is the Vietnamese version of the Lunar New Year, known as the Tết Festival, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday at the Seattle Center. The Tết Festival celebrates the beginning of the Year of the Cat with cultural performances, workshops, food, and fun for the kids.

Both festivals are free and have more information, including daily schedules, on their websites.

Lunar New Year website and schedule

Tết Festival website and schedule