Shimmer: LA Lantern Festival 2017

Join the Lunar New Year festivities at the Chinese American Museum.

We're now just over a month into the Year of the Rooster, it's true. But the Lunar New Year celebrations continue, meaning anyone who has not yet raised a lantern, or joined a festive activity, still has time to do so, before the annual community celebrations wrap up.

And that perfect place in Southern California to bid farewell to the multi-week Lunar New Year observations? It's the Chinese American Museum, which traditionally plays host to the final major new year's party on the local calendar, the Los Angeles Lantern Festival.

As the name suggests, things get glowing around sundown at the afternoon-into-evening March 4 event, but things get going much earlier in the day. So arriving well ahead of sunset, the better to fully jump into the assortment of activities, is a really solid idea.

The Immortal Lions Dance Troupe opens the occasion with a vibrant dance presentation during the noontime kick-off ceremony, and several hours of performances shall follow, with Ballet Folklorico, magic from David Chen, and K-Pop Dance troupe Koreos all on the slate. 

There shall be noshables at the Saturday-cool gathering — look for the food trucks, or head to nearby Olvera Street — and there will be museum tours, too.

The beautiful, rippling Silver Dragon closes out the auspicious, look-ahead happening with shimmery majesty, not long after nightfall.

The seven-hour, joy-brimful, lantern-lovely celebration is free.

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.

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Happy Year of the Rooster, everyone. May it be the best one yet.

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