The Second Annual Edmonds Lunar New Year
Rain or shine, meet us downtown between Main and Bell at 11am on Saturday, January 21st, to ring in the Year of The Rabbit at the Multicultural Association of Edmonds’ (MAE) second annual Lunar New Year celebration! Last year’s event was so successful that its event organizers—local business owners and members of the Edmonds Diversity Commission—formed MAE to empower the diverse cultural communities of our city to share their traditions and celebrations. And, we have to say, this new town tradition has quickly become a favorite.
Lion Dancers; photo by the Multicultural Association of Edmonds
We’ll kick off with a lion dance, hear from Mayor Mike Nelson at 11:45am, and conclude with a lively breakdancing performance from the talented Massive Monkees crew.
But that’s not all.
MAE’s Lunar New Year festivities will spring up in parallel with the Edmonds Winter Market return, which runs from 10am-3pm the same day. Over eighty vendors will sell crafts and apparel and host lunisolar calendar-themed activities.
In anticipation of all the fun on Saturday, The Edmonds Theater will show Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon on Thursday for FREE. Grab your seat early (doors open at 6pm), and don’t scrimp on the popcorn refills.
Traditionally, Lunar New Year is a fifteen-day celebration, and the MAE team has been working hard to get downtown in the same spirit. Look for the red lanterns swaying around town, along with several other odes to the annual festival in local shops and businesses.
“White Rabbit” cocktail; photo by Santa Fe Mexican Grill & Cantina
Food & Drink Specials
Downtown restaurants will offer Lunar New Year-themed food and drinks. If their sips and noms are anything like last year’s, your belly will be very happy. Here’s what we know so far:
- Salt & Iron: New Year Risotto
- Fire & The Feast: Longevity Noodles
- MARKET: Pork and Shrimp Dumplings and Korean Brisket Soup
- Kelnero: House-made Dumplings and drink specials
- Santa Fe Mexican Grill & Cantina: White Rabbit Cocktail
- Charcoal and Calypso will have drink specials, too!
Lunar New Year-themed food and drink specials will run January 20th-January 22nd, so block off your calendar and make a weekend of it.
Lunar New Year Art
Keep your eyes peeled for featured art from students at Madrona K-8 that will be displayed around town. The Year of The Rabbit will be much different than the Year of The Tiger, the former of which was characterized by strength, vitality, growth, and an underpinning of hectic energy. In contrast, the Year of The Rabbit will bring with it more ease, fluidity, and contemplation. Experts say 2023, energetically, will bring a (welcome) wave of calm while maintaining a sense of cleverness and agility.
Think more yin and less yang. You’ll likely see these themes reflected in our Madrona students’ art, as well as a fair amount of colorful, fluffy hares! Besides, our local kiddos have likely seen their fair share of bunnies coexisting with us all in Edmonds, which makes this Lunar New Year activity even more fun.
Lunar New Year at The Library
While we’re still talking about Edmonds’s next-gen, they’ll be able to learn more about The Year of The Rabbit right before the Winter Market opens for business on Saturday. The Edmonds Public Library is hosting Lunar New Year Storytime with Cami at 9am sharp. Preschoolers and toddlers will learn simple Mandarin words, share stories, and sing songs about Lunar New Year. Stories are always a wonderful way to teach kids about holidays, so click that handy little “Add to calendar” button on the website or, if you’re more analog, pencil it into your fridge calendar. We’ll see you there!
Don’t forget to bring us along as you ring in Edmonds’s second annual Lunar New Year. Add #LNYE2023 and #loveedmonds to your social media posts, and we’ll share our favorites on our Instagram and Facebook stories!
祝你兔年幸福安康!
(^^ “May your Year of The Rabbit be full of happiness and health!”)
By Whitney Popa, photos by Matt Hulbert, MAE, Santa Fe Mexican Grill & Cantina
