Lunarfest 2023
Year of the Rabbit

Join us on January 28 at 10 am on Whitney Avenue to ring in the New Year with our lion dance parade. Participate in free, family-friendly activities after the parade at our partner locations. See full schedule here.

Lunarfest is Connecticut’s largest annual Lunar New Year celebration. Featuring a traditional lion dance troupe, local artists, and local organizations, the annual festivities are full of learning, culture, arts, and fun. In 2021, Lunarfest went fully virtual, but we are back in person.

A huge thank you to our sponsors and partners.

Join us for our first year back fully in person since 2020!

Lunarfest 2023 Photos

Lunarfest 2023 Parade Photos

Photos from the 2023 Parade down Whitney Avenue.

Featured performers included the Wudang Kung Fu Academy and the Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Lion Dance Troupe.

Lunarfest 2023 Activity Photos

Photos from the free afternoon activities.

Featured activities include the Ju Long Wushu Lion Dance Troupe, Aiping Tai Chi, Wudang Kung Fu Academy, Eli Whitney Museum Workshop, Long Wharf Theatre and the Office of International Students & Scholars open mic, and Oompapossum Puppets.

Lunarfest 2023 Schedule

Lion Dance Parade

Whitney Avenue between Grove and Trumbull, 10 am-11 am

Join us for the parade down Whitney Avenue to ring in the Year of the Rabbit. The parade will feature a spectacular lion dance performance, speeches from local leaders, and representatives from our partners and local schools.

Post-Parade Festivities

  • Location:114 Whitney Avenue

    Tai chi & Wushu Performance and Class with Shifu Shirley and Master Jack, 12:30 pm-2:00 pm

    New Haven Museum and New England Asian American Cultural Center are hosting a showcase featuring Kung Fu and Tai Chi demonstrations by Wu Dang Kung Fu Academy and Aiping Tai Chi, as well as mini-classes for attendees.

    Workshop with Eli Whitney Museum Apprentices, 2 pm-4 pm

    Participate in this hands-on workshop and build, decorate, and interact with your own Chinese dragon automaton. Led by Eli Whitney Museum apprentices.

  • Location: 133 Elm Street

    Lion Dance Performance with Meet & Greet, 11:30 am-12:30 pm

    Enjoy the performance from Ju Long Wushu lion dance troupe from South Windsor. In collaboration with Yale Police Department.

    Shadow Puppet Show and Workshop, 1 pm-2 pm

    Come make a rabbit puppet in celebration of the Year of the Rabbit and watch a shadow puppet show! In collaboration with OompaPossum Puppets artistic director, Kimberly Van Aelst.

    Take & Make Eli Whitney Museum Moving Rabbit Kits (all branches)

    Get your Eli Whitney Museum kit and make your own moving rabbit animation for the Year of the Rabbit. From laser cut wood, punch out and build your own interactive rabbit display. Assembly instructions: https://www.eliwhitney.org/lunar-new-year-2023

  • Location: 421 Temple Street

    Year of the Rabbit Jam: Open Mic with featured performers Jook Songs, 1 pm-3 pm

    Join us for an afternoon of talented local performances as we celebrate the Chinese New Year! Whether you just want to watch or decide to get up and perform, it’s sure to be a celebration! Multi-lingual art strongly encouraged!

    1:15pm-1:30pm (Open Mic Sign-up )
    1:30pm- 3:00pm (Open Mic)

    Pre-register here.

    Co-hosted with Long Wharf Theatre

  • Location: 80 Audubon Street

    Calligraphy Workshop with Chinese Teaching Fellows, 11:30 am-1:30 pm

    Learn about the history of calligraphy and create your own Chinese New Year calligraphy greetings with the Yale-China Chinese Teaching Fellows.

    Gallery Exhibition - Băng Qua Nước: Across Land, Across Water. 12:30 - 4:00

    12:30 - 1:30 Open walkthrough with welcome from CAW’s executive director Anne Coates and remarks by curator Ivy Vuyong

    1:30 - 2:30 Curator/artist walkthrough and Q&A with Thuan Vu

    2:30 - 3:00 Hillary Nguyen, vocal performance of Lunar New Year (Tết, in Vietnamese) songs

    3:00 - 4:00 Issei Herr and buikakke umami collaborative music performance

    Băng Qua Nước: Across Land, Across Water is curated by Ivy Vuong (Yale ‘23). Connecticut-based Vietnamese artists Thuan Vu, Antonius-Tín Bui, Quyên Trương, and Thu Tran explore how home(s) exist, twist, and meld across land and water for Vietnamese peoples. The word nước in Vietnamese can mean homeland, nation, or water. Water gave passage to loss and new lives for thousands of Vietnamese ‘boat people’ escaping Vietnam post-1975 in the wake of the fall of Saigon. This displacement fraught with grief yet teeming with strength and resilience, is felt in this exhibition through paintings, cyanotypes, video, and soft sculpture divided into three sections: 1) Nơi Đây, Nơi Đó: Here nor/and There, 2) Cùng Nhau/Together, and 3) Sự Mất và Sự Trả Lại: Loss and Return/Redemption.

  • Location: Various retailers on Whitney Avenue and Audubon

    Year of the Rabbit Discount Day, All day on January 28, 2023

    Get your rack card directly from retailers or during the parade and enjoy discounts all day during Lunarfest festivities.

    Story of the Chinese Zodiac Diorama, All day

    Located in the window display across from Koffee, this diorama featuring art from local high school artists and local artist Kaitlin Tan Fung tells the story of the Chinese zodiac.

  • Location: 55 Whitney Avenue

    Lunar New Year Swag Pickup, 10:30 am-12:00 pm

    Get your swag to ring in the Year of the Rabbit at Affinity.