Celebrate Lunar New Year
Celebrate the Year of the Snake at Brooklyn Children’s Museum! Experience Lunar New Year through interactive storytelling, dynamic performances, and hands-on workshops.
Meet authors Yobe Qiu and Ran Wei, watch spectacular lion dance parades, enjoy cultural performances featuring dance and music, and create art with expert calligrapher Nelson Leung. Plus, get hands-on at our kung fu workshops, and explore snake-themed science activities in our STEM makerspace.
Schedule
Calligraphy Workshop in ColorLab
🕒 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Create traditional Chinese calligraphy using brush and ink in BCM’s ColorLab Art Studio. Artist Nelson Leung demonstrates this ancient art form, guides you through creating your own pieces, and shares the cultural significance of Chinese calligraphy.
Snakes in the City
🕒 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Meet BCM’s resident snakes in our STEM makerspace! Learn about these slithery creatures, then design and build your own snake habitat while discovering how these environments keep snakes safe and comfortable.
Storytelling with author Yobe Qiu
🕒 10:45 am – 11:15 am
Join author Yobe Qiu for an interactive reading of her book Our Lunar New Year. Discover Lunar New Year traditions and customs through the story, then make art in this family-friendly workshop.
The Story of Lunar New Year
🕒 11:30 am – 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm, 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Experience the vibrant traditions of Lunar New Year with the New York Chinese Cultural Center. This 30-minute showcase features performances by a youth choir, traditional folk music, and classical Chinese dance.
Intro to Kung Fu
🕒 12:15 pm – 12:45 pm, 2:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Watch martial artists from the New York Chinese Cultural Center demonstrate the power of Kung Fu. Join in for a hands-on workshop to learn basic stances, strikes, and techniques.
Lion Dance: Crash Course
🕒 12:15 pm – 12:30 pm, 3:00 pm – 3:15 pm
Discover the meaning behind the Lion Dance, a traditional performance that brings good fortune to the New Year. Learn about the costumes, dance movements, and music in this fun introduction.
Lion Dance Parade
🕒 12:45 pm – 1:15 pm, 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Usher in the New Year as the Chinatown Community Young Lions present a traditional lion dance parade throughout the entire Museum. Watch as they bring their authentic lion costumes to life in this spectacular performance!
Calligraphy Names
🕒 12:45 pm – 2:15 pm
What does your name look like in Chinese characters? Watch calligrapher Yan Xu transform names into beautiful works of art using traditional brush and ink techniques. Take home your personalized calligraphy as a special Lunar New Year keepsake!
Storytelling with author Ran Wei
🕒 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm, 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm
Join author Ran Wei for a bilingual storytime featuring her beloved Boba Bear series. After the reading, create your own lucky paper lantern to light the way into the New Year.
Scales of a Snake
🕒 All Day
What’s your wish for the New Year? Add your hopes and goals to our community art project by writing them on a paper ‘scale’ and adding it to our giant snake mural on the staircase to the 2nd floor.