Mooncakes, magic, and the Jade Rabbit on the moon! Join us for an afternoon of storytelling, drop-in arts & crafts, mooncake making, and more on Saturday, September 17th from 3 – 6 PM.

Free admission. Click here to RSVP!  

If your plans have changed and you are no longer able to attend the event, please cancel your reservation to ensure adequate space for others.

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.

RSVP HERE!

EVENT SCHEDULE 

PERFORMANCES, WORKSHOPS & ACTIVITIES

Harvest Moon Picnic | 3 – 6 PM

Gather around the blanket for a make-believe harvest moon picnic! Learn about the foods that families share as they gaze at the moon and give thanks for the year’s harvest. Make a secret wish for Moon Goddess Chang E’ to grant and add it to our collaborative work of art.

Bountiful Brushstrokes with Teaching Artist Yu Rong | 3 – 6 PM

Grab a brush and try your hand at some Chinese calligraphy with MOCA’s teaching artist Yu Rong. Learn how to write the Chinese character for “autumn” and other auspicious idioms for the festival. Remember – practice makes progress!

Play Happy Dim Sum with the Game Designers Daniel & Justin | 3 – 6 PM

Take a seat at our café tables and try this cheeky card game about the cultural traditions of a dim sum meal with family and friends. Meet the designers of the game, Daniel & Justin, and test your dim-sum-stuffing moves against them!

Chinese Theatre Works Presents: Tiger Tales Shadow Puppet Performance | 3:30 PM** 

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, shadow puppetry is especially popular because the full moon acts as an enchanting light source for performances. Join Chinese Theatre Works as they bring to life an enchanting tale where a wise old rabbit recounts stories from her eventful life to her young granddaughter– including how she came to be the Prime Minister to Tiger, the ever-hungry jungle king.

**Space is limited.

Munching on Mooncakes: Mooncake Making & Tasting Station | 3:30 – 5:30 PM**

Sharing mooncakes with friends and family is a beloved Mid-Autumn tradition. Join pastry chef Rebecca Li (@rebeshouse) as she walks us through the multi-layer process of making these sweet and savory treats. Discover the ingredients inside mooncakes and the tools used to make them. Practice using a mooncake mold and take home a mooncake that’s ready to bake.  Afterwards, try delectable slices of traditional mooncakes courtesy of Fay Da Bakery.

**While supplies last!

Shoot for the Moon Scavenger Hunt | 3 PM & 5:30 PM

Join a MOCA educator in following clues high and low to spot twinkling full moons and shimmering stars around the gallery. Will you find them all?

MOCAKIDS Storytime: Blessings from the Moon! | 4:30 PM

How fortunate you are to be blessed by the Moon Goddess, Chang’E during the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival! Learn all about enchanting Chang’E and the wonderful traditions of the moon festival in The Shadow in the Moon by Christina Matula and Mooncakes by Lacey Benard & Lulu Cheng. Do you have a Mid-Autumn wish for Chang’E? Share it with us at storytime!

DROP-IN ARTS & CRAFTS, 3 PM – 6 PM | 无需预订的艺术及手工活动, 下午 3 点 – 6 点

Shadows on the Moon 

Construct and decorate shadow puppets of Moon Goddess Chang’E or archer Hou Yi. When you finish your creation, head to MOCA’s shadow puppet theater to stage an original performance!

Everlasting Elixirs 

Prepare your own version of the magical elixir that lifted Chang’E from the earth to the moon! Grind salt and colorful chalk to create sparkling, colorful sand. Then, use it to fill a potion bottle and stir up some Mid-Autumn magic.

Jumping Jade Rabbits

Did you watch the full moon (赏月) this Mid-Autumn Festival? If so, you might have seen the outline of the mythical Jade Rabbit! Create a disappearing and reappearing Jade Rabbit from everyday materials.

Magnificent Mooncakes

Mooncakes come in countless shapes, sizes, & patterns. Explore intricate mooncake designs, pick your favorite, and mold a clay mooncake of your own.

Please note: your safety, and that of our team, continue to be our top priority, so at this time masks are required for all staff and all visitors age 2 and over. Click here for more information on MOCA’s visitor guidelines and safety protocols. 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.

Can’t attend in person? Join us virtually as we explore the customs and traditions behind this harvest festival with arts & crafts, MOCAKIDS Storytime at Home, and more family fun!

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.

Mooncakes have been generously donated by Fay Da Bakery.