Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 1/30/24

Annual Lunar New Year Programming & Festival to Feature Lantern Shows, Music,
Festive Décor and Family-Friendly Activities

 Atlantic Station honors Chinese New Year and its cultural traditions with a colorful Year of the Dragon celebration. Beginning in late January, visit the 30363 to experience Lunar New Year-themed décor and an energetic nightly lantern show leading up to the joyful Lunar New Year Festival on Saturday, Feb. 10 from noon to 4 p.m.

“The Lunar New Year Festival allows us to honor and celebrate Atlanta’s richly diverse community while fostering an understanding of the holiday’s traditions and rituals,” said Starr Cumming, Southeast Retail Director of Hines. “Each year, the 30363 hosts more than 300 activations and signature events, such as the Lunar New Year Festival, bringing together not only Atlantic Station residents, tenants and employees but the entire city of Atlanta.”

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is traced back to approximately 3,500 years ago and is one of the most significant festivals in Chinese and East Asian cultures to celebrate the start of a new year. The years are marked in cycles of 12, with each year represented by a rotation of animals based on the tale of a “Great Race” of animals by the Jade Emperor. This year, Lunar New Year falls on Saturday, Feb. 10, making it the Year of the Dragon, symbolizing power, success, honor and luck.  
 
Beginning late January and running through Monday, Feb. 12, experience an enchanting display of lights, music and visuals at the top of every hour from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Atlantic Green. The nightly show features a beautifully designed, 90-foot-long dragon with over 25,000 lights, known as a Chinese symbol of good fortune, emerging from a cloud of fog near Atlantic Green and over 400 red lanterns illuminating the area for a special lantern show to honor the spiritual tradition that celebrates the reunion of loved ones.
 
Then, on Saturday, Feb. 10, the community is invited to join Atlantic Station on the Atlantic Green for the annual Lunar New Year Festival from noon to 4 p.m. Kick off the festivities with a captivating Lion Dance from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a mesmerizing Kung Fu/Tai Chi performance from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Lion Dance is a meaningful ritual and art form in Chinese tradition believed to bring good luck and fortune in the new year and drive away evil spirits. Stick around to make symbolic crafts and even sit with a numerologist who will use your birthdate to study energetic influences and offer insight and predictions on your life.