Re-live the Olympic hype this January and help Canada bring home the gold at the LunarFest Rooster Winter Games! The Year of the Rooster in the lunar calendar is a year for courage, bravery, and hard work - do you have what it takes to reach the podium?
2017 LunarFest is back to celebrate the Lunar New Year like never before in downtown Vancouver from January 27 to 29, and then move on to Toronto on February 4 and 5. The venue in Vancouver this year relocates to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza while awaiting completion of the renovated art gallery plaza. As to Toronto, this year the festival has found a new home in Metro Hall, where Lunar Crafts returns with a variety of vibrant Rooster-themed workshops to spice up Toronto’s ice and snow! Don’t forget to check on your new years’ resolutions at the Fortune Telling shrines where one will foretell your love life and the other your wealth!
Juno nominees Ginalina and Michel Bruyer lead a songwriting workshop in “Alligator Stew: Kids Write Songs” and craft a song to ring in the Year of the Rooster. The Tung & Bedzvin Duo’s unique blend of vocals, Chinese erhu, and Ukrainian cello offer a musical journey for your mind to wander to fantastic lands, while Grace Lee Music’s “East Meets West” will mesmerize with the colorful traditional Korean dance paired with the rich tones of the Korean kayagum. Lunar Crafts and the Lunar Café also return to add that familiar flavor to this festive affair.
The LunarFest on Tour exhibition will also be at Oakridge Centre from January 18 to February 6, showcasing the Art of the Roosters. The collection features the work of a number of emerging artists in Taiwan and their interpretation of the Year of the Rooster and its accompanying Zodiac characteristics. Visitors are also invited to vote for their favorite work, and ballots for the winning piece will be eligible to win a prize.
To raise awareness of the Lunar New Year, special precious Golden Roosters are also hiding throughout Vancouver. Participants who snap a picture of one of these elusive birds and share it on social media may also be eligible to win prizes! Step out of the winter gloom and cross into the colorful Year of the Rooster!
2017 LunarFest schedule:
Vancouver: 11am-6pm, Jan. 27; 12pm-6pm, Jan 28-29, Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza
Toronto: 12pm-6pm, Feb.4-5, Metro Hall
Courtney: 11am-6pm, Feb. 12, Native Sons Hall
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.lunarfest.org
2017 LunarFest is organized by the Asian Canadian Special Events Association (ACSEA) and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan).