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Chinese American Events
Celebrate Chinese American Portland with two major festivals in the winter and spring.
This article was produced in collaboration with The Portland Chinese Times, a locally published, weekly Chinese-language newspaper that is an important resource for the community.
Festivals
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the most important festival of the year in Chinese Culture, and there are plenty of activities in Portland organized by local organizations to celebrate. Lan Su Chinese Garden hosts two weeks of Chinese New Year celebrations. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger and Lan Su celebrates with events like traditional Chinese New Year Lion Dance performances, Martial Art Demonstrations, Chinese Seal Carving Demonstrations and traditional evening Chinese New Year Lantern Viewing. Other traditional celebrations are held throughout the year at Lan Su; check the Lan Su Event Calendar for details.
The Chinese Friendship Association of Portland (CFAP), a non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to serving the Chinese community in Portland organizes an annual celebration of the Lunar New Year. Held at the Keller Auditorium the celebrations include Guinness World Record holder performing acrobatics, professional and award-winning singing stars, international Wushu champions performing their best routines. There will also be cultural exhibits and art workshops for the whole family to enjoy.
The annual Lunar New Year Celebration at the Washington Square Mall honors the tradition of the Wishing Tree. Shoppers are invited to make a wish on a red ribbon and toss it at the wishing tree in hopes that it will stick and their wish will come true in the coming year. The day-long celebration includes performances like traditional dances, Chinese Folktale storytelling, musical performances and puppet shows
Portland Rose Festival
The Rose Festival, Portland’s signature event, is held annually in May and June. In 2011, Chinese organizations in the greater Portland area formed a group to participate in the Rose Festival Parade. About 70 members from various local organizations work together to present the local Chinese community and its culture to the public.
The dragon boat race is a tradition of the Chinese Duan-Wu festival. Every year since 1988, nearly 100 local, national and international teams compete in the Dragon Boat Race at the Rose Festival using majestic boats provided through the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association.
Chinese American Events
Discover and celebrate the Chinese American community at these upcoming events in Portland.
Chinese New Year
Visit Lan Su to experience the most colorful and joyous Chinese festival during the garden’s 16-day Lunar New Year celebration. By the Lunar Calendar, the Lunar New Year celebration of the Year of the Rabbit begins on Jan. 21, 2023, and ends on Feb. 5, 2023. The festival features cultural performances, festival decorations, craft activities,…
Chinese New Year Lantern Viewing
Lan Su welcomes the Year of the Rabbit with several evenings of traditional lantern viewing when the garden glows with hanging red lanterns illuminating sweeping roof lines, and the Lake Zither reflects the lights of large-scale floating lantern sculptures. The lantern viewing evenings at Lan Su were inspired by the Lantern Festival, or Yuan Xian…
Chinese New Year Lion Dance
Lion Dancing began in China over 2,000 years ago. The imagery and symbolism of the Lion was introduced from India through the influence of Buddhism. The Lion Dance is performed to ward off evil and bring good fortune. A drum, a gong, and cymbals accompany the Dancing Lion. Lion Dances are performed during the Chinese…
Lunar New Year
Oregon 2023 Lunar New Year Celebration Visual Art Exhibit, Craft Workshop and Performances Chinese Friendship Association of Portland (CFAP) is a non-profit organization serving the local community. CFAP organizes multiple education and culture focused events all year long, with their most popular event being the annual Lunar New Year (LNY) Celebration Gala. Art & craft…
Chinese Festival
Join the Oregon Chinese Coalition for the 2022 Chinese Festival in the Square. Celebrate Chinese American culture and enjoy nonstop entertainment, delicious Chinese food, authentic arts and crafts, and much more. For more information visit pdxchinese.org.
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