Oakland Museum Of California Hosts 21st Annual Lunar New Year Event With Virtual And In-Person Family-Friendly Activities

(OAKLAND, CA) January  13, 2022— Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) welcomes the Year of the Tiger with a series of online and in-person activities as part of OMCA’s 21st Annual Lunar New Year Community Celebration. Since 2001, OMCA has honored the Lunar New Year holiday with its annual festival celebrating the various Asian cultures and traditions that make up the Oakland community. This year’s celebration highlights strength, bravery, and resilience, representing the Year of the Tiger, and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)  community.

OMCA remains committed to celebrating culture and community by adapting its time-honored traditions to digital platforms, while also providing opportunities for visitors to convene safely at the Museum.This year, free, family-friendly virtual programs will be offered leading up to a limited capacity in-person celebration at OMCA on Saturday, February 5 from 12 to 3 pm.  Note: Due to a recent mandate from the City of Oakland, proof of vaccination will be required for all onsite activities as of February 1, 2022. Mask-wearing will still be required regardless of vaccination status. 

Tune in January 25 for a delicious virtual cooking demonstration by OMCA staff member, Linda Jia. Jia will share her dumplings recipe, a traditional Lunar New Year dish symbolizing wealth and good luck for the upcoming year. Watch on OMCA’s YouTube channel.

On February 1, families are invited to gather together and get creative with a virtual hands-on shadow puppet art activity. OMCA staff member, Leslie Cheng, demonstrates how to make shadow puppets, an ancient form of storytelling. Families are encouraged to share their stories and explore themes of strength, bravery, and resilience, representing the Year of the Tiger. Shadow puppet kits can be downloaded from the OMCA website or picked up at the in-person Lunar New Year event on February 5.

Gather at OMCA on February 5 to celebrate the Year of the Tiger in-person. Enjoy story time with beloved San Francisco author and resident, Oliver Chin, who recently launched a new graphic novel series, Awesome Asian Americans. Don’t miss the popular Toishan Benevolent Association Lion Dancers, live music by the coveted Gamelan Sekar Jaya and award-winning Vân-Ánh Võ, take-home art activities, food truck bites provided by Off the Grid, and more. In response to the ongoing incidents of violence targeting the AAPI community, all community members are welcome to join a special in-person healing circle facilitated by Lotus Awakens. For a schedule of events, visit museumca.org/lunar-new-year-celebration-year-tiger. 

OMCA also invites community members to virtually connect and reflect together in a healing circle facilitated by Lotus Awakens via Zoom on February 8. Attendees must pre-register here.

Tickets for the in-person celebration are available here. All activities are included with Museum admission. Capacity is limited; proof of vaccination required.

Visit OMCA’s YouTube Channel to watch all of its 2022 Lunar New Year programs.

OMCA Festivals are made possible in part by generous support from the Oakland Museum Women’s Board.

ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) tells the many stories that comprise California, creating the space and context for greater connection, trust, and understanding between people. Through its inclusive exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives, and cultural events, OMCA brings Californians together and inspires greater understanding about what our state’s art, history, and natural surroundings teach us about ourselves and each other. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA brings together its multidisciplinary collections of art, history, and natural science with first-person accounts and often untold narratives of California, all within its 110,000 square feet of gallery space and seven-acre campus. The Museum is a leading cultural institution of the Bay Area and a resource for the research and understanding of California’s dynamic cultural and environmental heritage for visitors from the region, the state, and around the world.

VISITOR INFORMATION

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. Museum admission is $16 general; $11 seniors and students with valid ID, $7 youth ages 13 to 17, and free for Members and children 12 and under. There is a $5 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions in the Great Hall. OMCA offers onsite underground parking and is conveniently located one block from the Lake Merritt BART station, on the corner of 10th Street and Oak Street. An accessibility ramp is located at the 1000 Oak Street main entrance to the Museum. museumca.org 
 

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