The Wan Chi Ming Dragon and Lion Dance team, pictured in Manhattan in 2016, were expected to march along Jackson Avenue Saturday during a large lion dance Saturday but the event was canceled due to impending bad weather (Photo via Wan Chi Ming Dragon and Lion Dance Facebook page)
Jan. 25, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
The Long Island City Partnership is hosting a series of Lunar New Year celebrations to ring in the Year of the Tiger.
The celebrations, which began Monday and run through Sunday, Feb. 6, consists of cultural performances, family-friendly activities and promotions by local businesses.
It is the first time the Partnership is holding an event to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which marks the beginning of a calendar year for those who follow the lunar calendar, or months based on moon cycles. Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in East Asian countries and is celebrated worldwide.
LIC Partnership is hosting the event to honor Long Island City’s growing Asian community, organizers said. The area has nearly 11,000 residents of Asian descent, which represents 34 percent of Long Island City’s total population, according to the Partnership, citing census data.
“LIC is where the world comes together,” said Elizabeth Lusskin, President of the LIC Partnership.
Lusskin said the series of events will also highlight Asian and Asian American-owned businesses in the area with more than 60 small businesses offering promotions and deals.
She said that Long Island City takes pride in its diversity.
“Even as LIC evolves, it remains one of New York City’s most unique and rewarding districts to experience.”
The Partnership aims to make the LIC Lunar New Year celebrations an annual event and attract visitors from around the world.
Some of the other events include nightly short film screenings from Southeast Asia being shown at the Museum of the Moving Image, located at 36-01 35th Ave., and a flea market on Jan. 29 at 5-50 50th Ave.
There will also be a LIC Lunar New Year-themed camp for kids with STEM-related activities on Feb. 1 at Snapology, located 11-45 47th Ave.
LIC Partnership has released a digital guide detailing all of the events and promotions on offer as part of its LIC Lunar New Year celebrations.
The full list of business participants can be viewed here.
The LIC Lunar New Year celebrations were initially expected to include a large lion dance along Jackson Avenue Saturday but organizers have canceled the lion dance due to impending bad weather.
All other outdoor activities scheduled for Saturday at Court Square Park have also been canceled, organizers said.
