Wanting to celebrate the Lunar New Year in 2025? This event is for you!
On January 26 from 10 AM–4 PM, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is hosting a Lunar New Year Festival Celebration with dozens of activities, demonstrations, and bites to eat.

“The museum has seven free family festivals each year, and Lunar New Year is the longest running and extremely popular and is enjoyed by all ages,” says Kathleen Leighton, manager of media relations & production at the The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. “Observed throughout China and several East and Southeast Asian countries, Lunar New Year is a traditional celebration marking the beginning of the new year on the lunar calendar.”
Included in the celebrations will be performances and demonstrations such as calligraphy demonstrations, traditional Chinese Guzheng Music, the Jasmine Chinese Dance Group, painting demonstrations, and a demonstration on Tae Kwon Do.

Activities during the event include “Go” (a traditional board game), paper cut demonstrations with the Institute of Chinese Language and Culture, a show on the art of ink rubbings in Chinese culture, a Zodiac animal hunt, and more.
If visitors get hungry, the event has cuisine options as well. There wil be Asian-inspired cuisine for purchase, Á la carte Asian food selections, and Cafe Cà Phê Vietnamese coffee.
The Lunar New Year Festival is a free event. General admission into the venue—the museum—and the festival itself is free. Visitors may may register for admission once they arrive at the museum, but coordinators kindly request advanced registration to ease check-in and prepare for the event.

Parking information:
The Nelson-Atkins parking garage is located at 45th and Oak streets. Parking is $14 per vehicle or free for museum members and guests with ADA placards.
Additional free parking is available 9 AM–5 PM at the Cherry Street Parking Structure at 5005 Oak Street. ADA compliant shuttles will transport guests to and from the museum.
Ticket information:
Locate free admission registration information by clicking here.
For additional questions and information, visit the Nelson-Atkins website here.
For more Missouri events, visit our events page by clicking here.
All photos courtesy of The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art