An abundance of festivities made Asia Times Square’s 16th annual Lunar New Year Celebration a popular destination over the weekend, with more celebrations to come later in January.
The Dallas Express was there in Grand Prairie on Saturday to take part in the experience.
The afternoon was filled with performances by popular community singers, K-pop dance troupes, and, of course, “lion dancing,” not to mention the many vendors offering shopping.
Lion dancing is a form of traditional Chinese dance in which performers create a ritualized and stylized dance in colorful lion costumes for entertainment and spiritual purposes.
The Lunar New Year is one of the most important and anticipated holidays celebrated in Asian cultures.
2023 welcomes the year of the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac and the year of the cat in the Vietnamese zodiac.
People from all over the DFW metroplex flocked to Asia Times Square to celebrate.
“It’s amazing, man, coming out here. It’s my first year. My family told me that coming out to the Chinese New Year would be something interesting to see,” Darrell Beason told The Dallas Express. “And they didn’t lie. It’s absolutely amazing.”
Peppered with lion performances throughout the day, a multitude of vendors from the community, and food to satisfy any craving, Asia Times Square Lunar New Year celebrations delivered a fun, family atmosphere.
Local vendor Tin Lamb of Lambchawps was present to celebrate the Lunar New Year and display the many pieces of anime artwork he has up for sale.
He shared his feelings about the event with The Dallas Express.
“It’s pretty good vibes here at Asia Times Square,” Lamb said. “Everyone’s getting ready for the Lunar New Year coming up.”
While Asia Times Square and many are celebrating Lunar New Year now, the actual start of the Lunar New Year begins on January 22.
This past weekend was only the first spent celebrating the Lunar New Year, and eventgoers such as Meredith Gonzalez and her husband spoke to The Dallas Express about their excitement for the coming weekend’s events.
“I love the fact that there’s just so many people. It doesn’t even matter what color you are. You come here, and everyone’s just having a blast and having a good time, having all the foods that they want,” Gonzalez said.
“It’s really nice to be able to show my kids this, too, and have them grow up and experience everything. It’s nice.”
The Lunar New Year celebrations at Asia Times Square will continue over the next two weekends, January 13-15 and January 20-22.
For more information on the Lunar New Year festivities, click here.
