It’s the Year of the Rooster, and Wing Luke Museum and the Chinatown International District are marking the occasion.
Year of the Rooster Lunar New Year celebrations continue this weekend, including the largest regional event on Sunday, Jan. 29, in Seattle’s Chinatown International District.
Traditionally, the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar, Lunar New Year is celebrated by many Asian cultures. This weekend kicks off the Year of the Rooster, the 10th of the 12 animal years in Chinese and Vietnamese zodiacs. People born this year and in 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993 and 2005 are said to have Rooster zodiac traits of being confident, loyal, capable, sociable, organized and blunt.
[Read about the significance of Lunar New Year red envelopes]
Lunar New Year Celebration
Saturday, Jan. 28: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle; admission $10.95-$14.95, free for children and students with ID; 206-623-5124 or wingluke.org
Sunday, Jan. 29: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S., and surrounding neighborhood, Seattle
More info:cidbia.org/events/lunar-new-year
Seattle Boat Show
CenturyLink Field Event Center: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Jan. 30-Feb. 2; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 3; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 4; 800 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle
South Lake Union: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-next Friday, Jan. 30-Feb. 3; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 4; Chandler’s Cove, 901 Fairview Ave. N., Seattle.
Cost: $14/adults, $5/ages 11-17, ages 10 and younger free
More info: 206-634-0911 or seattleboatshow.com
Seattle Mariner FanFest
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 27-28
Cost: $10, ages 14 and younger free
Location: Safeco Field, 1250 First Ave. S., Seattle
More info: m.mlb.com/mariners/tickets/info/fanfest
Saturday is the actual first day of the Lunar New Year, and it will be celebrated at Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience with the traditional Lion Dance with drums, firecrackers and dancers outside the museum at 11 a.m. Lunar New Year Fair continues inside the museum with games, craft activities and New Year stories throughout the day. There’s a New Year zodiac animal zoo and a scavenger hunt for kids to win a rooster money bank while supplies last. Museum admission for the day is free for kids and students with ID, with regular admission prices for adults ($11.95-$14.95).
The annual New Year Celebration in Seattle’s Chinatown International District showcases the diversity and culture of the Asian community and attracts thousands of visitors for the festivities on Sunday, Jan. 29. Lion dances, a tradition to bring good luck for the new year, open and close the festival at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Dancing, drumming and martial-arts performances continue all day, including the always crowd-pleasing Lunar New Year Costume Contest and Parade at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Adults and children in Lunar New Year attire are welcome to participate, with registration available in advance online or on the day of the event at 11 a.m. in front of the Seattle Chinese Post/Northwest Asian Weekly at 412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle. Entry is free, adults can accompany their children during the parade, and prizes will be awarded.
Besides displays, vendors and craft activities, the $3 Food Walk is one of the celebration’s most popular features. Lines can be long at the 35 participating food venues around the Chinatown International District offering tastes from China, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia and more. Collect stamps from five or more restaurants to be entered into a drawing for two international round-trip airline tickets.
This weekend also provides opportunities to look ahead to spring. The Seattle Boat Show opens Friday, Jan. 27, continuing daily through Feb. 4 with boat displays, seminars and events at CenturyLink Field Event Center and on the water at Lake Union, including free shuttle service between the two locations. Seattle Mariners FanFest invites everyone to run the bases, play catch in the outfield, meet players and staff and get autographs Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28-29, at Safeco Field. Both events welcome kids with activities and free admission for ages 10 and younger at the Boat Show, and for ages 14 and younger at Seattle Mariners FanFest.