Get ready to soar into the festivities as we welcome the Year of the Dragon with an afternoon of legendary fun for the whole family!

Tickets: Click here for tickets! $5/person. Kids under 2 free. Limited free tickets for Culture Pass, Cool Culture, and Culture Connected families. Culture Pass tickets will go live on the Culture Pass site on February 1, 2024.

Tickets may be purchased at the door on the day of the event, starting at 2:30 PM, if capacity allows. 

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.

Click here for tickets!

EVENT SCHEDULE

Performances, Demonstrations & More!

Spring Festival Dances with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company | 2:15 – 2:45 PM 
Usher in the Year of the Dragon with a performance by the renowned Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. Watch an innovative, hip-hop infused lion dance, experience the artistry of the Company’s signature ribbon and fan dances, and be mesmerized by the breathtaking Peking Opera acrobatics showcased in the Long Spear Dance.

New Year Nibbles* | 2:30 – 4:30 PM
Munch on bite-sized sweet and savory holiday treats, while you learn how each one brings flavor and fortune to the New Year. We’ll also be brewing piping hot tea which is just perfect for Lunar New Year.

The Great Race Gallery Hunt | 2:45 PM & 4:45 PM Meets in the lobby! 
In celebration of the Year of the Dragon, join a MOCA educator in soaring high and low to search for dragons and other auspicious symbols in the galleries.

MOCAKIDS Author Meet & Greet with Michele Wong McSween | 3 – 3:30 PM 
Get a roaring start to the Year of the Dragon with Gordon, Li Li, and Brooklyn-based author Michele Wong McSween for a special Mandarin lesson featuring your favorite panda cousins, Gordon & Li Li. Michele will read from her bilingual book, Gordon & Li Li Celebrate Chinese New Year, where children and adults will learn first words in English and Mandarin inspired by the New Year. Think good luck foods, decorations, festive greetings and more! A special Year of the Dragon craft and book signing will follow the reading! Best for children ages 3-5. Older and younger siblings are welcome! Books and plushies will be available for purchase. 

Fanciful, Floating Fans: Fan Dance Workshop** | 3 PM & 3:45 PM 
Get ready for an exhilarating workshop with dancer and choreographer Mei-Yin Ng. Dive into the art of holding and manipulating fans, as you master basic dance movements. Then watch an electrifying fan dance. Follow along as the fan floats gracefully in the air and snaps open and close in a celebration of movement and rhythm. 

Captivating Confections: A Dragon’s Beard Candy Making Demonstration with Chef Chris Cheung |  3 – 4 PM 
Legend has it that Dragon’s Beard Candy—a sweet, hand-pulled confection with threads so fine it resembles a dragon’s beard— was invented during the Han Dynasty to entertain and delight the Emperor. Watch as chef Chris Cheung, owner of East Wind Snack Shop and author of Damn Good Chinese Food, stretches sugar into 12,000 fine threads of Dragon’s Beard Candy. Then try a sample to usher in a sweet new year. Books will be available for purchase. A book signing will follow the demonstration.

MOCAKIDS Author Meet & Greet with Ms. Pauline | 3:45 PM 
Itching to hear how the dragon got its place in the zodiac? Join Ms. Pauline for an interactive read-aloud of her book The Mystery Race: A New Story About the Chinese Zodiac Animals. She’ll share a modern retelling of the zodiac race and then invite participants to sing along to an original animal rap. Books will be available for purchase, a book signing will follow the reading.

La Mian for Longevity: A Noodle Pulling Demo with Home Cook Lu Zhang | 4 – 5 PM 
Noodles have a long history in many cultures, but the world’s oldest noodles were found in China, over 4,000 years ago! Noodles symbolize long life during the New Year. Watch and learn from home cook Lu Zhang as she demonstrates the art of pulling long life noodles, an especially auspicious New Year’s tradition.

MOCAKIDS Storytime: Lunar New Year Legends | 4:15 PM
新年快乐! It’s time to celebrate Lunar New Year with the special tradition of telling stories. Join a MOCA educator in learning about Lunar New Year traditions in Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang and A Monster Named Nian by Gwen Sung. Practice your Mandarin vocabulary, sing a celebratory song, and move your body to the beat.  

Sounds of the New Year with Danting Qiao | 4:30 PM
Delight in the classical sounds of the erhu 二胡 performed by an acclaimed musician Danting Qiao. Learn the sounds and symbolism of one of the oldest instruments in the world!

Drop-In Arts & Crafts | 2 – 5 PM 

Dazzling Dragons 
It’s the Year of the Dragon! Embody this year’s zodiac animal by designing an eye-catching dragon puppet that’s sure to delight. At the end of the festival, grab your brand new dragon and join us in parading through the MOCA galleries to bring good luck to the museum in the new year!

Wishful Fish
Fish symbolize abundance in the New Year. Using traditional Chinese paper cuts as inspiration, fold and cut a wriggly paper fish to usher in a year of plenty.

Lots of Luck Bracelets with Teaching Artist Yu Rong
Weave red cord into a lucky bracelet that’s sure to start your year off right!

*While supplies last. 
**Space is limited.

MOCA’s Family Festival Series is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, 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.

To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.