Honolulu Chinese New Year events ready to welcome Year of the Horse

Jan 17, 2014

Hawaii’s unofficial second New Year’s celebration, Chinese New Year, doesn’t officially start until Jan 31. But festivities on Oahu will begin as early as next week—Jan. 24—and continue through Jan. 31 in the Chinatown Culture & Arts District and at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

We’ve got the highlights here. Gung Hee Fat Choy! Be happy and prosperous.

Fri., Jan. 24

• Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii’s Chinatown Open House (Choy Cheng)
6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Chinatown District

• Chinese New Year Celebration
6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Sat., Jan. 25, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza

This annual open house and two-day celebration features food vendors, arts and crafts booths, and entertainment. Food vendors will provide an assortment of Chinese favorites believed to bring good luck, prosperity and long life: jai (vegetarian monk’s food), gin doi (Chinese doughnut), gau (New Year pudding), and jook (rice soup). Entertainment will include plenty of lion dances, local musical groups, and martial arts and weapons demonstrations.

For more information, visit the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii website.

Sat., Jan. 25

• Chinatown Merchants Association’s Night in Chinatown Street Festival 
10 a.m. to 10 p.m., in Honolulu’s Chinatown area between Smith and Hotel streets.

An estimated 15,000 festivalgoers turn up for this free annual block party, which will feature entertainment ranging from live bands to lion dancing. Vendors will be stocked with plenty of arts and crafts, cuisine from all over the world, bouncers and more.

• Chinatown Merchants Association’s Night In Chinatown Parade
3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Hotel Street

This annual parade is expected to include hundreds of marchers, with a 150-foot dragon at the end of the lineup. It’s free, too.

For more information, visit the Chinatown Merchants Association website.

Fri., Jan. 31

• ARTafterDARK: Qian Li Ma
6-9 p.m. at the Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 S. Beretania St.

The first ARTafterDARK event of 2014 kicks off with a tribute to the Year of the Horse, including Chinese lion dancing and kung fu moves by Au’s Shaolin Arts, New Year’s bites like pork belly gao and kung pao chicken by The Grove, and a gallery installment of contemporary Chinese art. Cost is $10 with discounts to academy members.