Make a splash at MOCA! Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) on Saturday, May 31st from 2:00-5:00pm with an afternoon full of arts & crafts, storytelling, and scavenger hunts! Learn all about dragon boat racing, try your hand at wrapping zòngzi, stuff a fragrant xiāng bāo, and much more family fun!

CLICK FOR TICKETS!

Tickets: $5/person (plus EventBrite fees). Kids 12 and under and MOCA Family Members free. Limited free tickets for Culture Pass, Cool Culture, and Culture Connected families. Stay tuned for details on the release of these tickets. A limited number of tickets may be purchased at the door on the day of the event, starting at 2:30 PM, if capacity allows. Purchase tickets in advance here!

The Museum of Chinese in America is committed to making public programs accessible to the general public regardless of economic background. If the ticket price is preventing you from attending the event, please contact us.

Know Before You Go

Family Festivals are bustling events with lots of sights, sounds, and aromas. There is limited stroller parking available, with a staff-operated lift used to reach the restrooms and lower level spaces. We recommend families with sensory concerns join our MOCACREATE events to celebrate the holiday.

Due to the limited capacity of the museum and efforts to adhere to safety guidelines, families may have to wait to enter the museum during peak times.

EVENT SCHEDULE | 节目时间表

PERFORMANCES, WORKSHOPS & MORE! | 无需预订的艺术及手工活动, ​​下午 2 点至下午 5 点

Creatures of the Dragon Boat Festival: Uncle Tony’s Live Reptile & Bug Show*
Also called the Double Fifth Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival is considered one of the unluckiest days of the year. Around this time each year, it’s easy to find the “five poisonous pests” — snakes, scorpions, centipedes, toads, and spiders. But are these animals really that scary? Uncle Tony’s Reptile Shack has the facts! Join them for an educational, hands-on experience where you’ll meet scaly and crawly friends, including snakes, a bearded dragon, a tarantula, and a giant African millipede! Best for children ages 6-11.

MOCAKIDS Author Meet & Greet: Gordon & Li Li: All About Me! with Michele Wong McSween
Get ready to move and sing along with Brooklyn-based author Michele Wong McSween and our favorite panda cousins, Gordon & Li Li. Michele will read from her new bilingual book, Gordon & Li Li: All About Me!, where we’ll learn words all about our bodies in both English and Mandarin. Together, we’ll explore how our bodies move and all that it takes to be part of a dragon boat team. 

A book signing will follow the reading! Best for children ages 3-5. Older and younger siblings are welcome! Books will be available for purchase following the reading.

Paddles Up! with the United East Athletics Association
Discover the origins of dragon boat racing and learn what it takes to be part of a dragon boat team with members from the United East Athletics Association. Meet experienced dragon boat racers, explore authentic equipment, and how dragon boat racing has evolved over time during this interactive session.

Sweet & Savory Snacks: Zongzi Wrapping with Home Cook Sophia Hsu**
Learn why zongzi—delicious rice bundles wrapped in bamboo leaves—are wrapped and eaten together with loved ones during the Dragon Boat Festival. Join home cook Sophia Hsu as she teaches us how to make zongzi (粽子) in the shape of a pyramid. These sticky, festive treats will leave your stomach and heart filled with glee! 

Sophia Hsu was born in New York City’s Lower East Side and raised in Richmond, VA in the American Chinese restaurant business. Hokkien-Chinese was her first language. English, Mandarin-Chinese, and Spanish quickly followed in school. In her free time, she is a freelance writer, testing new recipes, and crafting.

Sweet & Savory Snacks: Zongzi Tasting**
Tickle your taste buds with a piece of mouthwatering zongzi from one of our favorite spots in Chinatown!

MOCAKIDS Storytime: Row, Row, Row Your Dragon Boat!
Time to row, row, row and go, go, go! Learn about the legends, foods, and traditions that make up Duan Wu Jie, or the Dragon Boat Festival. We’ll be reading The Beat of the Dragon Boat by Christina Matula, singing a MOCA original song, and taking part in a race of our own. Bring your cameras for a special photo opportunity.

Creepy Crawly Bug Hunt | Meets in Lobby
Some people consider the Dragon Boat Festival (also called the Double Fifth Festival) to be one of the unluckiest days of the year. Join MOCA on a gallery hunt to drive away the five poisonous pests and protect the museum from bad luck. Be sure to bring your xiāng bāo for good luck!—and a flyswatter!

DROP-IN ARTS & CRAFTS AND GAMES, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM | 无需预订的艺术及手工活动, ​​下午 2 点至下午 5 点

Dragon Boat Festival Game Station
Some say that at noon on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival it is possible to perfectly balance an egg upright. Try this and other dexterity challenges to usher in a year of good luck. Will you crack under the pressure?

Emojify Your Zongzi
Using paper, markers, a bottlecap, and a little imagination, create your own topsy-turvy zongzi cartoon character inspired by this beloved holiday food. 

Fragrant Fortune
Fill a festive fabric sachet (香包 xiāng bāo) with fragrant dried flowers and aromatic herbs that are sure to please the senses.

5 Color Braided Bracelets
Continue a Dragon Boat tradition by making a five color bracelet symbolic of a long, healthy life. Throw it into the water after the first summer rain!

Drumroll, Please! 
Can you hear the cheering, drums, and crashing of the waves? It’s almost time for the race! Learn the significance of drumming in a dragon boat race and then create and embellish a simple drum to practice your drumming skills. 

Splash and Swirl Paddle Design with Teaching Artist Yu Rong
Using shaving cream and liquid watercolors, decorate dragon boat paddles inspired by the whirling waves of the water.

*Space is limited. 

** Until supplies last.

MOCA’s Family Festival Series is supported with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.