Chinese New Year Calendar 2019
This week’s Chinese New Year happenings:
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii: 533-3181, chinese chamber.com Chinese New Year Celebration: 5-10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, Chinatown Cultural Plaza, 100 N. Beretania St. Features entertainment, food and craft booths, lion and dragon dances, cultural performances, lion pole dancing and more. On Saturday, dress your pet pooch to enter a free doggie costume contest at 11 a.m. for a chance to win prizes; limited to 20 contestants. Register: 808ne.ws/lldogcontest19.
Choy Cheng (Chinatown Open House): Features an appearance by the 2019 Narcissus Queen and her court, firecrackers and lions dancing throughout Chinatown and visiting merchants to bring good fortune. Beginning 6 p.m. Friday at Chinese Chamber of Commerce, 8 S. King St., continuing through Chinatown until 9 p.m.
SATURDAY
Chinatown Merchants Association and Honolulu Chinese Jaycees: 306-4584, chinese newyearinhawaii.com
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>> Night in Chinatown Block Party: Features lion and dragon dances, cultural entertainment, martial arts demonstrations, a Walgreens Kid Zone and more than 50 food, crafts and vendor booths. 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Chinatown on Maunakea, Pauahi and Smith streets (between Beretania and King streets).
>> Chinese Lunar New Year Parade: Features more than 60 marching units, pageant queens for Miss Chinatown, Miss Chinese Jaycees and Miss Hawaii Chinese, along with dragon and lion dance performances. 4:30 p.m.; starts at the state Capitol and proceeds on Hotel to River streets.
Keiki Saturdays craft session— Chinese drum: 10 a.m.-noon, HouseMart Ben Franklin Crafts (Oahu locations). $4. benfranklinhawaii.com/events
Hawaii’s Plantation Village New Year’s Festival: Plantation-style games with prizes, entertainment, lion dancing, Shinto blessing, arts and crafts, food and more. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 94-695 Waipahu St. Free admission and parking; all-day game pass, $1. Free. 677-0110
SUNDAY
New Year’s Celebration at Kaimuki Public Library: Enjoy tai chi at 10:30 a.m. followed by lantern-making at noon and a lion dance and martial arts demonstration by Chinese Lion Dance Association at 1 p.m. Free. 733-8422
Celebrate Chinese New Year at Kahala Mall: Kicks off 10:30 a.m. with an appearance by Miss Chinatown, a kung fu demonstration and pole-jumping performance by Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association, followed by lion dancing throughout the mall. From noon-3 p.m., enjoy keiki crafts, Chinese horoscope readings, mahjong games, recipes and a cookbook booth, all provided by the Associated Chinese University Women Inc. Also, meet Chinese calligrapher Ina Chang. kahalamallcenter.com
TUESDAY
Gung Hay Fat Choy! Lunar New Year Celebration at Royal Hawaiian Center: Features calligraphy demonstrations from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the Royal Grove, followed by an appearance by Miss Chinatown and her Court at 4:45 p.m. and a lion dance performance by Lung Kong Physical Culture Club at 5 p.m. 922-2299, royalhawaiiancenter.com
THURSDAY
Pole jumping by Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association: 6 p.m. Also Feb. 8, Ala Moana Center. alamoanacenter.com
FEB. 8
Celebrate Year of the Pig at Mililani Shopping Center: 5-7 p.m., 95-221 Kipapa Drive and 95390 Kuahelani Ave. Arts and crafts, performances by Asian Lion Dance Team including a Chinese martial arts demonstration, lion dancing and firecrackers, and lions prancing through both sides of the Center beginning 6 p.m. mililanishoppingcenter.com
FEB. 9
Year of the Boar festivities at Ala Moana Center: alamoanacenter.com
>> 11 a.m.: Dragon dance, kung fu demonstrations and performances by Phoenix Dance Chamber at Centerstage, and lion dancing by more than 20 lions spreading good luck and collecting lai see (red envelopes) throughout the Center. Participating groups include Chinese Lion Dance Association, Chinese Physical Culture Association, Hawaii Lion Dance Association, Gee Yung Martial Arts, Koko Head Martial Arts Academy, Lung Kong Physical Culture Association and Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association.
>> 2 p.m.: Meet and greet the lion dancers from Hawaii Lion Dance Association at Centerstage and learn about the history of lion dancing.
>> 4 p.m.: Chinese calligraphy demonstration by Ina Chang at the Ewa Wing stage. Learn about the ancient Chinese art form and receive a complimentary handwritten Chinese New Year fortune.
FEB. 10
Chinese New Year at International Market Place: shopinternationalmarketplace.com/chinesenewyear
>> Noon-2:30 p.m.: Lion dancing throughout the marketplace to visit merchants and collect lai see (red envelopes). Following the performance, meet the dancers, take photos and learn about Chinese New Year at Queen’s Court.
>> 2-4 p.m.: Meet traditional Chinese calligraphers Madame Chang and Master Tsui, Queen’s Court. Select a Chinese idiom to be inscribed with gold ink on red paper and receive the complimentary artpiece for good luck.
Keiki workshop — Asian scroll paintings: Learn about composition and brush techniques in creating an Asianstyle landscape painting. Led by Regina Bode, art instructor with Honolulu Museum of Art and a visiting professor for art at Pusan National University in South Korea. For ages 5 and older. 2:30-4 p.m., Art Explorium. $15. 312-4316, artexplorium.org
FEB. 16
Keiki Saturdays craft session — pillow-box pig: 10 a.m.noon, HouseMart Ben Franklin Crafts (all Oahu locations). $3. benfranklinhawaii.com/events
Hawaii Kai Towne Center Celebrates the Year of the Pig: Enjoy a performance by Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association at the Marina Docks stage, martial arts demonstration and bring the keiki to “feed” the lion for good luck. 11 a.m.-1 p.m., 333 Keahole St. hawaiikaitownecenter.com
Year of the Pig Celebration: Lion dancing, firecrackers and a martial arts demonstrations from Asian Lion Dance Team, then a Choy Cheng visit from the lion throughout the mall to bring good fortune to merchants in the new year. 11 a.m., Kapolei Marketplace (fronting BedMart), 590 Farrington Highway. shopkapolei.com