Celebrate Lunar New Year in Rockville

Welcome the year of the snake and celebrate Rockville’s  Asian cultures Saturday, Feb. 16, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Rockville Town Center.

The day-long celebration is organized by the City of Rockville and VisArts to commemorate the beginning of the year 4711 on the Chinese calendar and recognize Rockville’s Asian population. One in three Rockville residents were born outside the United  States and 54 percent of the City’s foreign-born population was born in Asia, according to the most recent census.

Spend the early part of the day in Rockville Town Square enjoying a parade, an outdoor street market, and arts and crafts activities sponsored by VisArts. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. and will include Dragon and Lion Dancers, musicians, student groups, Miss Vietnam DC pageant finalists, Miss Chinese America and other performers. The celebration will continue with an outdoor Asian Street Market on Gibbs Street from

12:30 to 3 p.m. The street market will include food vendors, arts and crafts activities, community organizations and street performances. VisArts will be open for the public to visit its three galleries, participate in free family cultural activities and  walk through resident artists studios. For more information about the VisArts Lunar New Year Celebration visit www.visartsatrockville.org/lunar-new-year

Following the events in Town Square, the community is invited to the fifth annual City of Rockville Lunar New Year Celebration. Starting at 3 p.m., the City of Rockville’s Mayor and Council and Asian Pacific American Task Force will host free cultural performances and light refreshments at the County Executive Office Building located at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville.

Highlighting the diversity of Asian cultures represented in Rockville, the family friendly performances will include:

• Diana Dance Studio presenting a mix of traditional and modern Chinese dance
• Fairfax Chinese Dance Troupe
• Harvest dancing by the Dongbei Association
• Bell Zhong presenting traditional Indian dance
• Korean fan dancers and drummers of Matsunga Elementary School
• Lincoln Evergreen Yellow Plum Opera Club
• Tinikling dancing by the MHC Fil-Am Heritage Dance Ensemble
• Instrumental performances by the Washington Dunhuang Guzheng Academy
• Cheng-qi Xie, Child Beijing Opera

Light refreshments will be provided free of charge by Pho Nom Nom Restaurant, Sweet Frog on Rockville Pike and Thai Pavilion.

The event is made possible through the generosity of the performers and refreshment providers, and the support of Dr. Hongzhi Liang of the Acupuncture and Herbal Center, Dr. Chang Tan of the CT Pain Medical Center, GA, MD, and Dr. Peter Lee of the Easter Holistic Health Inc, GA, MD.

For more information about the performances at the County Executive Building, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/events/lunar-new-year or contact Janet Kelly, Asian Pacific American Task Force liaison, at 240-314-8316 or jkelly@rockvillemd.gov.

The County Executive Office Building is wheelchair accessible. To contact the City’s Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, call 240-314-8108 or TTY 240-314-8137.

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