Santa Monica Place is celebrating the Year of the Monkey with a Lunar New Year Celebration held on February 12 from 3pm-7pm and February 13 from 1:30pm–4pm and 5:30pm–8pm. The Lunar New Year Festival is FREE and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.santamonicaplace.com.
“Lunar New Year is special to both our international tourists and local guests,” says Shoshana Puccia, Senior Manager, Marketing, Santa Monica Place. “We are thrilled to incorporate the significance of this holiday into Santa Monica Place’s shopping experience and this celebration will bring the community together and delight both children and adults.”
Also known as the Spring Festival, the Lunar New Year celebration will feature entertainment and presentations based on authentic Chinese traditions including:
· The Traditional Dragon Dance will feature 17 performers accompanied by traditional drums.
· Live music entertainment by a Chinese classical musical duo using native instruments such as the dizi (bamboo flute), yangqin (butterfly harp) and guzheng (long zither).
· Korean Fan Dancers performing traditional dances that represent peace and tranquility. Similar to the Rockettes, the Korean Fan Dance features precise movements by many dancers at once, who combine to create one big connected flow of movement.
· Chinese Stilt Walkers dressed in genuine decorative costumes engaging with guests.
· A New Year’s Wish Tree provides guests an opportunity to write their New Year wishes on a card to be placed in a red envelope then hung on the branches of the tree. Wishes can be purchased for $2.00 and all proceeds will benefit Families with Children from China Southern California (FCC SoCal), a non-profit organization that is an advocate for adoptive families throughout the Greater Los Angeles area and Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
· Crafts where children will be able to create and decorate Lunar New Year themed crafts.
· A Balloon Twister will make monkeys out of balloons
· The Chinese Dough Art artist will mold human and animal figures from clay or glutinous rice flour (a very popular folk art in both urban and rural areas of China).
· A Festive Photo Backdrop will be available for guests to capture the magic of the Lunar New Year Festival.
· Red Envelopes filled with special offers from participating stores and restaurants.
Lunar New Year Celebration Schedule:
Friday, Feb. 12:
· Stilt Walkers & Balloon Twister perform from 3pm – 7pm
· Dragon Dance is at 6pm
· Korean Fan Dancers perform at 4pm & 5pm
Saturday, Feb. 13:
· Stilt Walkers and Balloon Twister perform 1:30pm – 4pm
· Dough artist from 1:30pm – 4pm
· Arts & Crafts 1:30pm – 4:30pm
· Martial Arts 3:30pm
· Dragon Dance at 6:30pm
· Fan Dancers perform at 3pm & 5:30pm
Live entertainment, cultural presentations and interactive crafts will take place in Center Plaza located on Level 1. For questions about this year’s Lunar New Year Celebration go to www.santamonicaplace.com/lunarnewyear, text the Concierge at 310.499.2928
