Westfield Santa Anita, the premier shopping center in the San Gabriel Valley, is ringing in the Year of the Ram by hosting its third annual Lunar New Year celebration throughout February, including a Lunar New Year event on Sunday, Feb. 15 from 12p.m. to 4p.m. This year’s partnering organizations joining in on the festivities are the Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF), the Chinese American Museum (CAM), and the Japanese American National Museum (JANM), which will be bringing a part of its current Hello Kitty exhibit to the Center.
Having undergone a $20 million renovation, including the addition of stores such as L’Occitane, THEFACESHOP, Art of Shaving, Mikawaya, Polaroid Fotobar, and Kitson, Westfield Santa Anita is ready to make this year’s Lunar New Year celebration even more spectacular. This year’s décor at the Center features lantern archways, tombstone vignettes throughout the property representing the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, as well as educational displays explaining how families celebrate Lunar New Year, provided by CAM. Westfield Santa Anita is also bringing back its core displays of the 120-foot dragon and Chinese pagoda. New restaurants such as Caffe Concerto, Meizhou Dongpo and Wing Hop Fung are also slated to open in 2015.
“Westfield Santa Anita recognizes that Lunar New Year is such an important holiday for many Asian cultures, especially here in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley where we are located, said Korean-Japanese American Lanko Miyazaki Goldberger, District Marketing Director for Westfield Santa Anita. “We are so excited to be joined by the community and our partners to celebrate and be a part of this tradition again.”
During the event on Feb. 15, traditional lion dances will kick off the celebration, and several live performances will take place throughout the day. Other activities include Chinese calligraphy demonstrations, student art displays from local school districts, children’s crafts tables, and the popular life-sized traditional Chinese dice game where participants can win prizes from various Westfield retailers. Guests can also sample food and refreshments at the event, including the Hello Kitty Café food truck. All events are free and open to the public.
