Austin

Photos: Austin's Asian communities celebrate Lunar New Year

KUT 90.5 | By Patricia Lim

Published February 17, 2026 at 5:00 AM CST

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An audience in the foreground watches as Chinese dragons perform in a gymnasium. — The Southern Sea Dragon and Lion Dance teams perform at a Lunar New Year Festival event hosted by the Austin Great Wall Chinese School at Webb Middle School.

Lunar New Year for Austin's Asian communities looks different in each household and culture. With the celebration not being a federal holiday, families rely on community events like the festival hosted by the Austin Great Wall Chinese School to experience a piece of their heritage.

Mikanh Gaffeni is one of many attendees who rely on these events for her daughter to experience her family's Vietnamese traditions. “Any chance I get to have our culture reinforce some of our ... tradition, I absolutely want her to have that exposure to it, too," Gaffeni said.

The celebration date varies depending on the moon’s phases and usually falls between late January and February. This year, it falls on Tuesday and ends on March 3.

A man standing at a table that has red items on it hands a red envelope to a small child. — Amelia, 5, receives a lai see or red envelope from a staff member at a Lunar New Year festival event. Her father, Wen Sun, said, “This event is important for her to know her family culture.”

Women in traditional Chinese dress stand near a wall, with their backs to the camera, rehearsing a dance. — Performers wearing qipao, a traditional Chinese dress, rehearse in a hallway during the event. An event attendee, Nicole, 13, said, “These events are full of fun activities and dance. ... You can explore the beauty of the holiday.”

Three women at a table hold up a red banner with Chinese writing on it. — From left, Jijun Wu, Xiaocun Huang and Toni Huang raise a chunlian, or spring festival couplets, a traditional calligraphy to invite good luck and bring best wishes to the family. “We usually put these on our front door and have the theme on top," Toni said.

An older woman in a small crowd and bright pink dress dances with a man in a formal suit in a hallway at a school. — Linda Xie and Michael Lu, with Austin Chinese Performing Arts, rehearse before their performance.

Men hold up sticks with a dragon attached at the top as they dance in front of young children. — The Southern Sea Dragon and Lion Dance team starts the show with a dragon dance.

People in the background watch three dragons dancing,with people moving them from underneath, as part of a lunar new year event. — A crowd of people watch the Southern Sea Dragon and Lion Dance team perform at Webb Middle School.

A crowd of children raise envelopes as performers wearing a dragon costume approaches them. — Children raise their lai see to entice the lion to come near them following their performance at the festival.