Draco Malfoy, one of Harry Potter's most recognisable villains, has become an unlikely lunar new year icon across China, as fans embrace the character for the year of the horse. In Mandarin, Malfoy's name is transliterated as ma er fu. The first character means horse while the final character, fu, means fortune or blessing a powerful symbol found across lunar new year celebrations. Put together, Malfoy's name can be loosely read as horse fortune, making him an unexpectedly auspicious figure for the year ahead.
For those who do not wish to travel far to other parts of the city or the Bay Area for festivity, mark your calendar for a Lunar New Year celebration on Ocean Avenue on Saturday, Feb. 28, between noon and 3 p.m. at Unity Plaza, 1002 Ocean Ave. The event, which doesn't require any admission fees or RSVPs, will offer multicultural performances and various booths from local vendors.
Lunar New Year is an annual seasonal event in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This is a worldwide holiday observed in-game, and it always coincides with the start of the real-world Chinese New Year each year. In this guide, we'll discuss all the festivities and items you can unlock during Lunar New Year. The date for the event varies each year.
The Friday night dance party is geared toward older kids and teens and takes place at the David Rubenstein Atrium at 7:30 pm. It's a DJ-led dance party with music by DJ Gia Fu, set in a loud, high-energy, standing-room environment, and is best suited for teens who enjoy music and dancing. If you have younger children with early bedtimes, skip this and save your energy for Sunday.
This year's stage will vibrate with drumming and the rich colors of lion dancers and folk traditions. Our main stage will feature the Toishan Association Lion Dancers, Afro-Filipino MPWRD Collective, Patty Chu's Chinese Dance Troupe, queer lion dance troupe Comrade Lover, Bantaba Drum Call, Urisawe Korean Drumming, and SambaFunk! The Kids + Teens Zone storytimes will feature award-winning picture book author Dr. JaNay Brown-Wood (Jam, Too?, Shhh! The Baby's Asleep), YA fantasy author Aimee Phan (The Lost Queen), and craft activities led by Storyland Collective.
Mark the Year of the Horse with a free Lunar New Year Festival on March 14, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at History Park on Phelan Avenue. Organized by History San José and the Chinese Historical & Cultural Project, the event welcomes families to immerse themselves in traditions that showcase Chinese heritage through lively demonstrations and interactive elements.
Now in its 25th year, OMCA's Lunar New Year Celebration has become a space for connection, cultural exchange, and shared joy. This anniversary edition welcomes visitors to reflect on the traditions that have shaped the celebration over the past quarter-century, while embracing the energy and renewal symbolized by the Year of the Fire Horse. The festival begins at 11am, with performances and activities across OMCA's seven-acre campus starting at noon.
We are now in Dungeness season, which is the perfect time try one (or two) of Damansara's crustaceans. I ordered a chili crab with rice today as a first-season crab to have for lunch over the next two days. I will also make a broth out of the shells to freeze for spicy crab broth on demand. Hello, future bowls of ramen! The thought of this is truly comforting already.
A horse toy in China meant to be a Lunar New Year decoration has turned into a symbol of corporate agony on Chinese social media. The red horse toy in question, made by the shop Happy Sisters in China's western Yiwu city, features an upside-down snout, giving it a morose look at odds with its festival golden bell. Per the Chinese zodiac, the incoming year will be the year of the horse.
Head to this free community festival celebrating Lunar New Year on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood on Saturday! This street festival brings together Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese cultural traditions with arts & crafts booths, performances, interactive activities and a lively artisan market curated by MAUM. You'll find food trucks and Asian-owned vendors, traditional music and dance and kid-friendly creative stations.
This is the time of year when my kitchen starts to tell the truth about who I am. Scottish crab, fresh from Tarbert, is lowered gently into a bubbling chilli bath of sambal and egg to become chilli crab, scooped up with steamed mantou buns and eaten messily with friends and family. Oysters from Lindisfarne are deep-fried in a light cloak of rice and corn flour, fished out of the wok with long chopsticks and dipped into sweet chilli sauce.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Lunar New Year celebrations kicked off on San Francisco's Commercial Street Saturday with the launch of new market supporting Chinatown businesses. "After the pandemic this block, in particular, what we call Commercial Street has been half dead. We see more than 50 percent of vacancies in this block," said Francis Christian Chan, with San Francisco's Office of Economic & Workforce Development. "We think this community event will bring more new customers, existing customers back to this corridor, and enjoy the life in here."
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's inauguration Incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to be inaugurated on New Year's Day in two separate swearing-in ceremonies: NYS Attorney General Letitia James will administer the oath of office to Mamdani at midnight on Dec. 31, while Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will swear in the mayor at a public ceremony at 1 p.m. on Jan. 1. The new mayor will also host a block party for the public following the ceremony.