Lunar New Year marks the beginning of a calendar that is based on the cycles of the moon. While many of us recently rang in 2023 with New Year’s parties and funny-shaped glasses, there is another special set of celebrations taking place in the Modern Frontier for the Lunar New Year. Over the course of two weeks, there will be fun ways to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit and the Cat in Oklahoma City. From delicious fare to fun activities and crafts, here's a taste of the Lunar New Year in OKC.
On Saturday, January 14, the Vietnamese American Community of Oklahoma (VACO) will hold its annual Lunar New Year Celebration at the elegant Dove Event Center in south Oklahoma City. Taking place in the heart of a local community, VACO’s celebration will run from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is open to the public.
The Myriad Gardens and Oklahoma City’s Asian District Cultural Association have a full day of fun events at Myriad slated for a week later, at 11 a.m. on January 21. The largest celebration of the Lunar New Year across the city, Lunar New Year in the Gardens will feature ethnic cuisine, performances and demonstrations, facepainting and free crafts.
At the gardens, enjoy bulgogi from Oh My Gogi OKC, onigiri from ONI OKC, noodles from Big Biang Theory, boba tea from Yum Yum Bites FoodTruck, a mochi donut from Momocha or a delicious iced coffee from Lee’s Sandwiches. While you’re there, make sure to check out breathtaking performances from the Hưng Việt Lion Dance Association, KANPAI Japanese Drum Group, RACE Dance Collective, X2C Crew and Golden Tiger Martial Arts. Japan American Society and Hoshin Dojo are both holding demonstrations, and you won’t want to miss those either. Au Jewelry, a permanent jewelry pop-up, and the Oklahoma City Thunder Book Bus will also set up shop at the Myriad Gardens for the celebration. The event is sponsored by Super Cao Nguyen Market, a large international grocery store in the Asian District.
Finally, on January 30, the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Golden State Warriors at the Paycom Center in the team’s annual Lunar New Year Celebration Game in partnership with the Asian District Cultural Association and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. With a strong season from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it is likely that OKC will have their first representative at the NBA All-Star game in two years. Tip-off is at 7 p.m., so be sure to be there and be loud to help cheer on the Thunder and celebrate the Lunar New Year.
