Lunar New Year Festival at The Met This Sunday, February 5

Dancers from The New York Korean Performing Arts Center, Inc. Photo by Don Pollard

Exhibition Dates:
11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Exhibition Location:
The Met Fifth Avenue, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will host its annual Lunar New Year festival on Sunday, February 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Rooster will feature dozens of engaging programs—for visitors of all ages—that reflect traditions from across Asia. Dance and music performances, artist-led workshops, and interactive gallery activities will take place throughout The Met Fifth Avenue as part of the festival celebration. All Lunar New Year Festival programming is free with Museum admission.

Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Rooster is made possible by the Great Circle Foundation and the Tiger Baron Foundation. It is presented in cooperation with Cool Culture. The event is organized by The Met’s Department of Education.

“I am always inspired by the opportunities we create to engage diverse communities,” said Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chairman of Education. “We want everyone to know the doors of the Museum are always wide open and the Lunar New Year Festival illustrates that—an inspiring cultural celebration that brings together members of varied communities and backgrounds, ideas and traditions. This event is one of The Met’s most anticipated festivals.”

Performances

Visitors will be able to participate in many of the festival performances that will take place in various areas within The Met Fifth Avenue during the six-hour celebration. Performances include a colorful parade through the Museum’s Great Hall led by the Chinese Center on Long Island Lion Troupe, a Chinese Opera performance by the acclaimed Qian Yi, music from China Youth Orchestra conducted by Wang Guowei, and Balinese music with Gamelan Dharma Swara. A puppet show by Sesame Street puppeteers, featuring Alan Muraoka, will be followed by a photo op with both performers and puppets.

Art Activities and Demonstrations

Several artist-led workshops will be offered throughout the Museum as part of Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Rooster. Visitors can try their hand at several different creative stations—making buttons, drawing, or learning the art of paper folding. The entire family is invited to craft Chinese opera masks with the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, fashion golden Silla crowns with The Korea Society, participate in a Four Seasons Tea Gathering with Ten Ren Tea, take part in a comic workshop with SIUNIVERSE MEDIA, and participate in a hand-pulled noodle demonstration with Chef Zheng.

Bilingual Storytime will be presented throughout the day. ASL Storytelling performances will also take place in the Arts of Japan galleries. Both are best for ages 3 and up.

Adults are invited to participate in collection chats spotlighting works on view in the Museum’s galleries. Topics are Chinese painting, Cambodian sculpture, and a Chinese opera robe. Collection chats begin at 1 p.m., with new chats every 30 minutes.

Related Installation

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, The Met will present Celebration of the Year of the Rooster in the Charlotte C. Weber Galleries for the Arts of Ancient China from January 25 through July 4, 2017. Drawn exclusively from the Museum’s permanent collection, the installation features eight works depicting roosters in sculpture, porcelain, and inlaid and enameled metalwork. Highlights are an 18th-century cloisonné incense burner in the shape of a rooster and a rare 15th-century porcelain cup with over-glazed enamel colors from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) imperial kiln. Both works express the wish for happiness and prosperity as visual symbols.

General Event Information

More about the event and directions to programming throughout the Museum will be available at the information desk inside the main entrance at Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street and in the Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education, located near the ground-floor entrance at Fifth Avenue and 81st Street. All Lunar New Year Festival programs are free with Museum admission. Recommended Museum admission is $25 for adults, $17 for seniors (65 and over), and $12 for students. Children under 12 who are accompanied by an adult are free.

A full list of festival programming, along with further details and a schedule of events, is available on The Met website.

Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Rooster will also be featured on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using the hashtag #MetFest.