Celebrate The Year of the Ox at Pacific Symphony’s Virtual Lantern Festival

The entire family can join Pacific Symphony for its annual Lantern Festival, which is being offered virtually for the first time. The event is free and takes place online on February 27, from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

The Lantern Festival, which can be traced back 2,000 years, takes place 15 days after the Lunar New Year—on the first full moon night in the lunar calendar—and marks the return of spring, representing the reunion of family. The act of lighting and appreciating lanterns is a way for people to let go of the burdens of their old selves and express their best wishes for themselves and their families for the future.

Pacific Symphony and South Coast Chinese Cultural Center/ Irvine Chinese School join forces in presenting this family-friendly virtual festival to commemorate the end of the Lunar New Year celebration with music, dance, demonstrations and riddles.

You’ll have the opportunity to create your very own lantern, be inspired by traditional Chinese music and dance, and even have the opportunity to win a special ox lantern. 

The event is free on Pacific Symphony’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Artists include: South Coast Chinese Orchestra, Irvine Chinese Choir 華聲, American Feel Young Chorus 飛楊, Evangelical Valley Children’s Choir 東安兒童合唱團, Orange County Ladies Chorus 橙縣女聲, Eastern Taiwan Women’s Ensemble 知音合唱團, Hua-Lien Yi-Chung Middle School Wind Ensemble 花蓮宜昌國中管樂,Hua-Lien Dancing  School 花蓮舞蹈劇, Chinese Dance Company of Southern California, and members of Pacific Symphony and Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles.

You’ll enjoy participating in paper lantern making, riddles and a calligraphy demo. You’ll have a chance to win prizes, and you won’t want to miss the dragon dance!

Co-hosted with the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center/ Irvine Chinese School, this event is made possible through the generous support of the James Irvine Foundation.