What to Know
- Saturday, Feb. 17
- 2 to 6 p.m.
- Free
A wish? It's a pretty magical thing, regardless of when and where you utter or think or share it.
But there are a few nexuses and important moments when wishery, and the act of expressing a hope that rests somewhere in the unknown future, takes on a special sheen.
Sitting before the candles of your birthday cake is one such moment, yes. As is a visit to a wishing tree during a celebratory, looking-forward, hello-there-new-year festivity.
Such a festivity will twirl, with pomp, hue, and a buoyant spirit, into the Santa Monica Place Lunar New Year Festival on Saturday, Feb. 17.
It's free to join, and in addition to the lively performances there shall be wishing trees, too, where you may leave your most positive and it'll-all-work-out thoughts for the coming months.
The festival on the 17th is an afternoon-fun affair, from 2 to 6 p.m., and Katherine Ho of "The Voice" will serve as the day's emcee. Fan dances, a Chinese dragon dance, and stilt walkers will be just a few of the stirring sights regaling those who gather to watch in admiration and joy.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
As for those fortuitous wishing trees?
They'll actually stand tall for four days, from Friday, Feb. 16 through Monday, Feb. 19, if you want to stop by at another time beyond the Saturday festival. The beneficiary of each two-dollar donation made, per wish, is UCLA's Chinese Students and Scholars Association.
Have a wish to leave for yourself, on behalf of a loved one, on behalf of the world or someone you've never met? Something brimming with beauty, optimism, and it's-gonna-happen-ness?
Stop by Santa Monica Place, make a donation or donations, send some goodness of thought out on the auspicious holiday, and support a wonderful student organization, too.
