Lunar New Year celebrations kick off soon. Here’s where to celebrate around Kansas City

Joseph Hernandez

Over a billion people around the world will celebrate the Lunar New Year this weekend. The holiday starts on Saturday, and it runs for 15 days, honoring the beginning of the lunisolar calendar.

Here in Kansas City, different groups are hosting events celebrating the significance of the holiday in Chinese, Vietnamese, and other Asian cultures and local diasporas.

Lion Dance at Wonderscope Children’s Museum

The Rockhurst High School Lion Dance team will perform a traditional lion dance, which features two partners dressed in a vibrant lion costume that can wink, move their ears and wag their tail. The dance symbolizes courage and stability, and is often performed to scare ghosts and evil spirits away.

The festivities start at 10 a.m. on Friday, and there is also a craft project for kids to make and take home. Everything is included with admission to Wonderscope’s museum, which is:

  • Free for Wonderscope members and kids under the age of 2

  • $14 for children ages 2-15

  • $10 for everyone over the age of 16

Lunar New Year at Cafe Ca Phe

The Vietnamese café in Columbus Park is hosting its celebration for the Lunar New Year from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The shop will have at least 10 AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) vendors, as well as an Asian DJ, face painters, food trucks and a Vietnamese lion dance troupe. The shop has also collaborated with local clothing company Made Mobb for an exclusive merch drop, which will be available at the celebration.

Cafe Cà Phê, a Vietnamese coffee truck, plans to open a storefront this winter at 916 East 5th Street in Kansas City’s Columbus Park neighborhood. Owner Jackie Nguyen is seen standing next to the new building.
Cafe Cà Phê, a Vietnamese coffee truck, plans to open a storefront this winter at 916 East 5th Street in Kansas City’s Columbus Park neighborhood. Owner Jackie Nguyen is seen standing next to the new building.

Lunar New Year Celebration at Lenexa Public Market

The Ethnic Enrichment Commission of Kansas City and Lenexa will celebrate the Year of the Rabbit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Lenexa Public Market.

All the vendors in the market have specialty dishes available, including sesame chicken crunch salad & Thai peanut pizza from Topp’d Pizza & Salads and fish soup from Red Kitchen KC.

You can also watch folk dances by the Chinese Club of Greater KC and the Thai Cultural Center of Greater KC, make your own Chinese paper characters and participate in a Tai Chi demonstration.

Lunar New Year Festival at Nelson Atkins

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art celebrates Lunar New Year with a free festival on Sunday, Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will be able to see treasures and art from the Asian art collection and make their own crafts with a variety of classes for all ages to enjoy.

The Chinese School of Greater Kansas City is hosting yo-yo and origami rabbit demonstrations. For more decorations and performances, you can wander around the entire museum, including the Bloch building and Rockhill room.

Is there another Lunar New Year event happening around Kansas City that we missed? Let us know at kcq@kcstar.com and we’ll add it to our list.

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