Annual Chinese New Year Celebration at Nevada State Museum

Large Cultural Event Includes a Procession Through Carson City’s Downtown Corridor

The Nevada State Museum, Carson City, and the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada will host a Chinese New Year Celebration starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 21, the Lunar New Year. Festivities begin in the Nevada State Museum, Carson City with crafts and traditional Chinese dances. 

The public is invited to follow the lion dancers in a procession at 11:00 a.m. to the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada.  There, the celebration continues with activities and events in the afternoon. 

Chinese New Year is the most important and longest celebration on the Chinese calendar. “Our Lunar New Year celebration is open to everyone as a fun way to experience Chinese culture and learn its ancient traditions meant to bring good fortune all year,” says Dr. Joshua Bonde, Director of the Nevada State Museum. 

People from China lived in Nevada as early as 1851 when Nevada was part of the Utah Territory. In 1860, the Dayton area was marked on maps as “Chinatown.” The Nevada State Museum holds extensive collections from several Chinese settlements throughout Nevada. The museum will highlight a few of these objects during the event.  

Based on the Chinese Zodiac Calendar, the Lunar New Year is the most anticipated and celebrated festival in China and for those observing it worldwide. This year’s sign is the Rabbit which represents the Moon as well as softness, tenderness, and gentleness according to the Chinese Zodiac. 

The event is a collaboration with the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada. 

The museum is at 600 N. Carson St. in Carson City. Regular museum admission is $10 for adults and free for members and children ages 17 and younger. This program is funded in part by a grant from Nevada Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.