Sacramento is ringing in the Lunar New Year. Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with these events
Every year, RungFong Hsu helps to organize the Spring Festival, a one-day event celebrating the Lunar New Year.
As a Taiwanese immigrant, Hsu said the Spring Festival is more than just a event, it’s about remembering where she came from.
“We all volunteer because we all have this passion for our heritage,” said Hsu. “We feel like, while we here now as Americans and we love this country, we cannot forget our roots.”
The Spring Festival has been apart of Hsu’s life since 1987. Since then, it’s become a Sacramento tradition. This year it will be held at Luther Burbank High School on Feb. 24.
“We started so many years ago because we were homesick,” Hsu said. “This year (Lunar New Year) happens to be on Feb. 10. If we don’t have this activity, Feb. 10 comes like every other day. So it’s a good thing that we’re doing this.”
The Spring Festival is organized by the Chinese New Year Association in partnership with several Asian organizations from Sacramento and beyond. Hsu said it takes the board nine months to prepare for the festival.
The event will feature lion dancing, a Chinese performing arts show, professional musicians, vendor booths, and activities like paper cutting calligraphy and calligraphy. Since it began 37 years ago, Hsu said the Spring Festival has become tradition.
The Year of the Dragon symbolizes prestige, power and strength. 2024 is the year of the Wood Dragon, a symbol of success, growth and progress according to the South China Morning Post.
The Spring Festival is one of many events celebrating the Year of the Dragon. To mark a year filled with prestige and power, organizations in Sacramento area are hosting a variety of events. Tickets can only be purchased on-site at Luther Burbank High School’s ticket booth, though Hsu recommends tickets be bought in advance.
ACC Senior Services Community Lunch-in
ACC Senior Services, a senior citizen center based in Sacramento, will be hosting their community lunch-in on Feb. 17.
The lunch-in will feature lion dancing, a performance from the ACC Chinese Singing Club, and an array of dishes to honor the New Year. This event will be held at ACC on 7334 Park City Dr.
Dishes will be mostly be traditional southeast Chinese food that symbolize “prosperity and good luck,” said Alfred Yee, a long time volunteer with ACC Senior Services.
These dishes include roasted pork, chicken and mushroom which represent “wealth, luck, and longevity” he said. Chefs will also be serving Buddha’s Delight, a traditional meal that cleanses the soul and spirit.
“This about gathering of family and beyond that, to the wider sphere of relatives and friendships,” Yee said.
This celebration will be one of ACC Senior Services’ first since the pandemic. For their community, celebrating Lunar New Year is an opportunity to regain a sense of community that was once lost to isolation.
“I just want to reiterate how much we value celebrations and get together in person again,” Lee said. “During the pandemic, we saw so many people who were really struggling with the isolation. We’re really happy to try to bring as many in person events as possible.”
Sip N’ Socialize
On Feb. 13, the Sacramento Asian Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce’s Lunar New Year Sip N’ Socialize will be a hub for small business networking on 1610 R Street.
Tet Parade in Little Saigon
The Little Saigon District of Sacramento will be holding their annual Tet Parade on Feb. 10, which will have their opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m.
The parade begins an hour later and will start in Westminster at the intersection of Bolsa Avenue and Magnolia Street.
Celebrations throughout the region
Lunar New Year celebrations can also be found outside the City of Sacramento. On Feb. 18, the Town of Locke will be throwing in the New Year with lion and dances dances on Main Street in Walnut Grove.
In Fair Oaks, Wild Runners, an small business specialized in athletic wear, will be holding a Lunar New Year Run on Feb. 10 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at 10149 Fair Oaks Blvd.
Elk Grove is also participating in the Year of the Dragon festivities with their Lunar New Year Festival from Feb. 10 and Feb. 11. The festival will at Elk Grove Regional Park at 9950 Elk Grove Florin Rd.
