Chinatown Center is proud to celebrate Chinese New Year - The Year of the Dragon and the mightiest of signs on the Chinese Zodiac! Mark your calendars for the annual celebration in North Austin to be hosted this Sunday, January 29, 2012 in Austin’s very own Chinatown Center (10901 N. Lamar Blvd.). The coming Chinese New Year festivities will include family friendly fun from face-painting to firecracker displays. As always, the most anticipated entertainers, the Dragon and Lion Dance Teams will perform throughout the day!
 
The schedule of events is set to kick-off on Sunday, beginning at 10:45am with community entertainment and the Texas Dragon and Lion Dance Team and Summitt Dragon Dance to perform at the Chinatown Center pagoda. Also accompanying the dragon dances, will be martial arts performances and firecrackers displays. The teams will then continue the celebration from 12-2pm to dance and bring fortune to individual stores in the center. Festivities will carry on through the afternoon from 2-5pm with Thien Hau/Linh Son Lion Dance Team to spread even more fortune and continue bringing in the New Year! Detailed schedule below:

10:45am – 11:30am
Chinese Dance and Instrumental performances by the Austin Chinese Artist Association and Taiko Drumming and Martial Arts by Summitt Elementary.
11:30am – 2:00pm
Dragon & Lion Dance Performance by Summitt Lion/Dragon Dance and Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team at Pagoda and Chinatown Stores
2:00pm – 5:00pm
Dragon & Lion Dance Performance by Thien Hau/Linh Son Lion Dance Team at Chinatown Stores
11:00pm – 5:00pm
ALL DAY FAMILY FUN! Including Firecracker Displays, Community Resource Fair, Rock Climbing Wall, FREE Facepainting by Kiwi the Clown and MORE!

This year there will once again be family friendly activities, including a rock climbing wall, as well as a community resource fair for even more fun and games! Free parking is available and is on a first-come, first-serve basis so carpooling is encouraged. Admission to the community resource fair will be free but some activities may have their own fees so bringing cash is recommended.

If you have not made your way to Chinatown Center yet, Chinese New Year is the best time to start. This is the place to be, where the Austin community and Asian culture collide for the perfect affair of authentic entertainment, food, tradition and excitement. There is simply no better way to celebrate The Year of the Dragon, the fifth of the twelve-year Chinese zodiac cycle. Chinatown Center – Your Passport to Asian Cuisine and Shopping - located at 10901 N. Lamar Blvd. at the intersection of N. Lamar and Kramer.