2024 Lunar New Year Celebration at Oakland Museum of California (OMCA)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Gather with us at OMCA for our 23rd Annual Lunar New Year Celebration. Celebrate and honor Lunar New Year traditions through family-friendly storytelling, performances, activities, and more. Come together to uplift AAPI communities and explore the shared connections between Asian cultures of the Bay Area.

Join us on OMCA’s campus to ring in the Year of the Dragon together. Festival access starts at 11am; activities and performances start at 12pm.

Festival tickets are $10 and include access to all Lunar New Year performances and activities, entry to all of our galleries as well as our special exhibition, Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya. Children under 12 are free with advance reservations.

The event will take place rain or shine. Parking is available in OMCA’s Oak Street Garage for a day rate of $10; overflow event parking is available at Alco Park located at 165 13th Street, for a day rate of $7. ASL Interpretation for OMCA Garden stage will be provided.

We encourage visitors to buy tickets in advance using the buttons below. Limited tickets will be available at the door. 

See celebration details below, and feel free to bring your own picnic!

2024 Schedule of Events

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

TOWN FARE CAFE,  MID LEVEL

11 am–4 pm Enjoy cuisine that pays tribute to Chef Michele’s Southern roots and Oakland upbringing and brings together flavors from the diverse cultures within the local community.

TOWN FARE SUNDECK, MID LEVEL

11 am–4 pm  Pick up drinks and quick bites inspired by Lunar New Year at the outdoor Town Fare Sundeck.

FOOD MARKET, OAK STREET PLAZA

11 am–4 pm Enjoy a delectable variety of beverages and food offerings from Bay Area AAPI chefs.

OPENING CELEBRATION

GARDEN STAGE

12–12:20 pm Usher in the New Year and chase evil spirits away with a lucky lion dance by LionDanceME

PERFORMANCES

GARDEN STAGE *

12:45–1:30 pm Nanta, Samgomu, and Pan-Gut by Hansamo’s Nanta, Pungmul & Dance Teams

2:00–2:30 pm   Interactive lion dance performance with LionDanceME – take pictures with the lions and dancers!

3:00–3:35 pm Street style dance performance and lesson by Str8jacket, as seen on America’s Got Talent

STORYTIME

LECTURE HALL, LOWER LEVEL **

12:30–1 pm The Year of the Dragon: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac with author Oliver Chin

1:30–2:15 pm Storytime with Joanna Ho, author of Eyes that Kiss in the Corners

3–3:30 pm   The Year of the Dragon: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac with author Oliver Chin

HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES 

GARDEN, LOWER LEVEL

12–4:00 pm Create a paper dragon puppet and paper dragon dangler

LILLIE EDUCATION CENTER, LOWER LEVEL

12–4:00 pm Write a wish for your community for the new year on a dragon scale and add it to our collective Year of the Dragon artwork!

CALIFORNIA ROOM, LOWER LEVEL

12:30–3:30 pm Learn about and sample a variety of tea with local tea company, Far Leaves Tea founder Donna Lo

GALLERY ACTIVITIES

ALL GALLERIES, LOWER, MID, UPPER LEVELS

1–3:00 pm Gallery Chats at OMCA takes an informal approach to the traditional museum tour by encouraging meaningful conversations and fresh interpretations to connect with the artwork, artifacts, and stories in our galleries. Visitors are invited to chat, ask questions, and connect with our OMCA facilitators who combine content knowledge with lived experience to encourage meaningful dialogue and fresh interpretations of our exhibitions.

Gallery Chats take place in our Special Exhibitions and our Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences every Saturday from 1 to 3 pm and are included with Museum and Special Exhibition admission. No reservation necessary.

11 am–4:00 pm   Pick up a self-guided Lunar New Year Zodiac Animal Quest activity and search for zodiac animals in our core galleries.

CLOSING CELEBRATION

GARDEN STAGE

3:45 pm   End the celebration with an energetic dragon dance performed by LionDanceME.

* If raining, performances will move to the James Moore Theater, Lower Level

** Limited seating. Doors open 15 minutes before each storytime.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.