Lunar New Year at Peabody Essex Museum
When:
Saturday, Feb 15, 2025 10:00a -
5:00p
Saturday, Feb 15, 2025 10:00a -
5:00p
Where:
Peabody Essex Museum
161 Essex St
Salem, MA
Admission:
$15-25
Categories:
Festivals & Fairs, Good for Groups, History, Meetup
Event website:
https://www.pem.org/events/lunar-new-year-festival-year-of-the-snake
Come welcome the Year of the Snake with a vibrant festival heralding new beginnings and the coming of spring! Reserve your tickets for PEM’s annual Dragon Dance at 10:30 am, and enjoy a scavenger hunt, art making and guided tours of Yin Yu Tang in the afternoon.
Lunar New Year is celebrated in many Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. While some traditions are shared across countries, others are unique to one region, community or national cultural identity. Our programming this year focuses on Chinese cultural traditions.
Please note that museum galleries will not open until after the performance concludes.
Dance Performance | Gund Kwok: Asian Women’s Lion and Dragon Dance Troupe
10:30–11:30 am
Reservations required. Limited tickets available.
Main Atrium
Experience the energy and grace of Gund Kwok, the first all-Asian women’s Lion and Dragon Dance troupe in the U.S. Stick around after the performance for a chance to interact with the performers and meet their dragons up close!
This program features loud drumming and cymbals. The museum may be crowded and seating will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please fill out our Accommodation and Accessibility form at least two weeks before the event (by February 1) if you have any specific requests.
Purchase from a select menu of Lunar New Year snacks at our café pop-up in East India Marine Hall starting at 11:30 am.
Drop-In Art Making: Decorating Red Envelopes
11:30 am–4 pm
East India Marine Hall
Decorate your own red envelope, a symbol of luck and prosperity in Chinese culture. Suitable for all ages.
Dragon Quest
11:30 am–5 pm | Ground Level, Level 2 and Level 3
Explore all three levels of the museum on the hunt for dragons and snakes! Claim your prize in the Garden Atrium. Suitable for all ages.
Outdoor Dance Performance | Gund Kwok: Asian Women’s Lion and Dragon Dance Troupe
1:15–1:45 pm
Essex Street in front of the museum’s Main Entrance
Experience the energy and grace of Gund Kwok, the first all-Asian women’s Lion and Dragon Dance troupe in the U.S. In the event of rain or inclement weather, the dragons will greet visitors inside the Main Atrium and roam throughout the museum instead.
Self-Guided Tours | Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home
1:15–4:15 pm; Every 30 minutes
Reservations required. Limited same-day tickets available at the Information desk beginning at 1 pm.
Yin Yu Tang — translated as “Hall of Plentiful Shelter” — was home to the Huang family for nearly two hundred years. For over 20 years, Yin Yu Tang has been a gateway into understanding the art and culture of generations of families living and working in rural Southeastern China.
About the Artists
Gund Kwok was founded in February 1998 as the first all-Asian women's Lion and Dragon Dance troupe in the United States. The troupe, whose name means “heroine” in Chinese, empowers Asian and Asian American women by giving them an opportunity to express their creativity, power and strength through performing the lion and dragon dances.
