Bring the family to celebrate the Lunar New Year and welcome the Year of the Rooster! Here are some highlights of St. Louis area celebrations open to the public.
The Magic House Saturday, January 28, 2017, 10 am to 2 pm
Families can enjoy a Lion Dance performance, arts, crafts, and Chinese face painting. Free with museum admission.
Saint Louis Art Museum Lunar New Year Festival
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Explore Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese culture with activities, performances, and demonstrations. Special performances including a Lion Dance and T’ai Chi and Kung Fu demonstrations start at 2 pm in the Sculpture Hall. Free.
University City Lunar New Year 2017 February 3 and 4, 2017
Experience parades, lion dances, authentic Chinese food, 50 local artists, hands-on activities, and performances. Performances are in partnership with the Lunar New Year Festival student run organization of Washington University. Free.
Lunar New Year Festival Kick Off
Friday, February 3, 2017, 5 to 9 pm
Mandarin House Banquet Center, 8004 Olive Boulevard,
University City
Night Market: Featuring Taste of Asia restaurants, artisans, retailers
6 pm: Chinese Community Performers
7 pm: Fusion
8 pm: DJ
Lunar New Year Parade & Festival
Saturday, February 4, 2017, 11 am
11 to 11: 30 am: Pre-Parade Gathering Brittany Woods Middle
11:30 to noon: Lunar New Year Parade (Weather Permitting)
Departs Brittany Woods Middle School, 8125 Groby Road, St. Louis, MO 63130 at 11:30 am. The parade heads north down 81st Street, and turns into the parking lot of Seafood City, ending at the Mandarin House Banquet Center, 8004 Olive Boulevard.
Night Market
Noon to 8 pm
Mandarin House Banquet Center
8004 Olive Boulevard, University City
Featuring Taste of Asia restaurants, artisans, and retailers.
Performances
Mandarin House Banquet Center, 8004 Olive Boulevard,
University City
1 pm: Lion Dance Kickoff
2 to 4 pm: Washington University Lunar New Year Festival Performances
4 pm: DJ
5 pm: Chinese School Performers
6 pm: Fusion
7 pm: Headliners
8 pm: DJ
Lunar New Year Festival at the Edison Theatre
6465 Forsyth Boulevard
February 10, 2017 at 7 pm
February 11, 2017 at 2 pm and 7 pm
The Lunar New Year Festival (LNYF) is an annual event on the Washington University Campus celebrating the Lunar New Year and promoting awareness of the different aspects of Asian culture from China to Korea and more. This spectacular show in the Edison Theatre, is a completely student-run production and promotes interaction and unity among the various Asian groups on campus. Through a great variety of exciting performances of acting, dancing, and music, people of all backgrounds can enjoy and celebrate the New Year together. Tickets $10.
Cinema St. Louis presents SLIFF/Kids, the Second Annual St. Louis International Children’s Film Festival, August 1-10, 2014. The films include international and American-independent narrative features (both animated and live action) and film shorts programs. Although the programs are geared to children and young teens ages 6-16, older teens and adults will find the films equally appealing. All film programs are free and open to the public. No tickets are required to see any show, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, so early arrival is suggested, particularly for groups of three or more. SLIFF/Kids presents film programs on the festival’s two weekends (August 1-3 and August 8-10). Venues include Webster University, Saint Louis Art Museum, COCA, St. Louis Public Library’s Central Library, Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, and Lindenwood University in St. Charles.
• COCA, 524 Trinity Avenue
• Saint Louis Art Museum: Forest Park, 1 Fine Arts Drive
• St. Louis Public Library’s Central Library Auditorium (screenings) and Creative Experience (camps): 1301 Olive St. downtown. Parking is available in a free lot at Olive and 15th streets. Tokens, which are required to exit the lot, are available at the Olive Street and Locust Street desks within Central Library. Parking at meters is free on Sundays.
• Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium: Webster Hall, 470 East Lockwood Avenue. Parking is available both in front of and behind Webster Hall, no permits are required.
• Wildey Theatre: 252 North Main Street, Edwardsville, IL.
• Lindenwood University’s Young Hall Auditorium, Watson and Houston streets (one block west of South Kingshighway and Watson Street), 209 South Kingshighway Street, St. Charles, MO 63301. Parking is available next to Young Hall, no permits required.
The Festival has also organized many excellent filmmaking camps. With the participation of both Lindenwood and Webster universities, free Filmmaking Camps on live action and animation are held at the St. Louis Public Library’s Creative Experience on the fest’s weekdays (August 4-8). Also, free Advanced Filmmaking Camps (for teens with previous experience) will be held the week after SLIFF/Kids (August 11-15) at both the St. Louis Public Library’s Creative Experience (documentary camp) and Lindenwood University (live-action camp). Before SLIFF/Kids officially begins, from July 28-August 1, COCA will offer a filmmaking camp in which participants will create a 3 to 5 minute digital short that could serve as a pilot for a longer digital series; cost is $250. On August 9, a full-day Teen Workshop on the Art of Animation will be held at the Saint Louis Art Museum; there will be a $75 charge for this workshop ($50 for Saint Louis Art Museum members).
The Boxcar Children: Saturday, August 2, 2014 at 12:30 pm, Central Library (81 minutes). Animated and in English. Based on the first book of Gertrude Chandler Warner’s extraordinarily popular series – with more than 50 million books sold worldwide – “The Boxcar Children” is a tale of family togetherness that relates the touching story of the four Alden siblings, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny.
Nocturna: Saturday, August 2, 2014 at 10:30 am, Central Library (88 minutes). Animated and in English. Visually stunning and wildly inventive, this film explores the mystery of the night in a sweeping nocturnal adventure full of “Alice in Wonderland” like characters and moody, dream-inspired landscapes.
Mary Poppins: Saturday, August 2, 2014 at 2:30 pm, Central Library (139 minutes). Live action, animated, and in English. Released from the Disney Vault in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, this beloved classic shines like never before with an all-new digital restoration. Winner of five Academy Awards®, including Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”), and Best Visual Effects, “Mary Poppins” is a family-film classic as fresh and funny today as when it was made.
Boy and the World: Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 2:30 pm, Central Library (80 minutes). Animated and wordless. Cuca lives a life of quiet wonder, exploring all that the countryside has to offer. But his cozy life is shattered when his father leaves for the city, prompting Cuca to embark on a quest to reunite his family. Accompanying the stunning visuals is a rich soundscape of pan-flute, samba, and Brazilian hip-hop.
My Dog the Champion: Saturday, August 2, 2014 at 1 pm, Lindenwood University; Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 12:30 pm, Central Library; Sunday, August 10, 2014 at 1 pm, Wildey (87 minutes). Live action and in English. Dora Madison Burge (“Friday Night Lights”) stars as Madison, a spoiled big-city 16-year-old with a full teenage social life. But when her mom is deployed overseas for three months, Maddy is sent to live with her hard-nosed grandfather (Lance Henriksen of “Aliens”) at his rural cattle ranch. In this strange place with no wi-fi, Maddy will meet cute 17-year-old dog trainer Eli (Cody Linley of “Hannah Montana”), grow to love and respect her stubborn grandpa, and bond with an old cattle dog who just may have the potential to be a blue-ribbon champion.
Bring the family to celebrate the Lunar New Year and welcome the Year of the Rooster! Here are some highlights of St. Louis area celebrations open to the public.
