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2026 Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Celebration

Category: Event Calendar

Date and Time for this Past Event

  • Saturday, Feb 28, 2026  3:30pm - 8pm

Location

Akron Civic Theatre
182 S Main St

Details

The 5th Annual Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Celebration is coming Saturday, February 28, to the Akron Civic Theatre. Ring in the Year of the Horse with a culture fair in the Civic's lobby from 3:30 to 6 pm, followed by performances on the main stage beginning at 6 pm.

This year’s performers will include Kwan Family Lion Dance, the Cleveland Glory Waist Drum Team, Master Sen Gao, Blooming Flower Dance Group, Myong Feinstein, Akron Chinese School, Cleveland Phoenix Club, the Ohio Samul Nori, NIHF STEM Middle School learners, LingYun Rising Star Dance School and Stellar Acrobatic Dance Academy, Soaring Grace Dance Group and Five Lakes Chinese Ensemble.

Fireworks will follow the performances.

View the 2026 Event Program

Tickets for the 2026 Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Celebration

Tickets must be reserved to enjoy this event. Tickets are $6.30 each, all-in pricing, if purchased online at AkronCivic.com. The Akron Civic Theatre is a no-fee box office, and tickets can also be purchased there for $5 each from Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. 

Purchase tickets here.

Performers

  • Kwan Family Lion Dance
  • NIHF STEM Middle School Dragon Dance
  • Master Gao
  • Akron Chinese School
  • Cleveland Phoenix Club
  • LingYun Rising Star Dance School and Stellar Acrobatic Dance Academy
  • Blooming Flower Hmong Dance Team
  • The Ohio Samul Nori
  • Soaring Grace Dance Group
  • Five Lakes Chinese Ensemble
  • Myong Feinstein
  • Hsa Win: Myanmar Marionette performance

Vendors

FOOD:

  • Cilantro Thai & Sushi
  • Evelyn's Coffee and Banh Mi
  • Red Bean Bakes authentic Asian bakery
  • Liquid Lab and Studio boba tea trailer (you can bring your boba tea / beverage purchases into the theater)

RETAIL:

  • Julia Belle's Seasonings, Rubs and Mixes
  • Wabi Sabi by Mai
  • Rotten Boi
  • Otaku's Haven
  • Chi Irena Wong Artwork
  • Maya Scarpa Illustration

Organizations

  • Asian Services in Action
  • APAMSA (Asian Pacific American Medical Association of NEOMED)
  • Summit County Children's Services
  • Akron Fire Department
  • Downtown Akron Partnership
  • MotivAsians 

Crafts and activities

  • Panda Photo Opportunity (4 - 4:45 pm, Knight Stage)
  • Lion Dancer Photo Opportunity (5 - 5:45 pm, Knight Stage)
  • Horse Stained Glass Portrait Craft, led by Zips Activity Board (Knight Stage)
  • Paper Lantern Craft, led by Akron Children's Museum (Knight Stage)
  • Free photo booth presented by DAP (Knight Stage)
  • Lunar New Year artist Thao Nguyen poster signing (Knight Stage)
  • Zodiac Trivia Giveaways and Money Tree (Main Lobby)
  • Tea Ceremony Education (Main Lobby)
  • Calligraphy activity (Main Lobby)

Raffles

  • Donate nonperishable food items to the Asian Services in Action table for a chance to win prizes, including the Grand Prize: a LEGO Galloping Horse Canvas set (see below for more details). 1 item = 1 raffle ticket.
  • Purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win a signed, framed, ready-to-hang print of Thao Nguyen's Year of the Horse poster art. 1 ticket for $3, 4 tickets for $10, 10 tickets for $20.

Sponsor the 2026 Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Celebration

Interested in learning about sponsorship for this year's celebration? Email us at info@downtownakron.com.

Donate to ASIA

This year, be sure to bring some nonperishable food items to donate to ASIA. Items like canned fruits and vegetables, rice (jasmine, basmati, long grain, and short grain), cooking oil, and table salt are especially appreciated. When you donate food items and support our local Asian community, you'll be entered into a drawing for the Grand Prize: a LEGO Galloping Horse Canvas set.

2026 Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Coloring Contest

Black and white image of the 2026 Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Celebration coloring contest sheet. The sheet features a beautiful, stylized line drawing of a horse, surrounded by birds and clouds, and was created by artist Thao Nguyen.

Download the 2026 Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Celebration coloring page, color it and enter to win fun prizes. The artwork for this year's coloring page was designed by Thao Nguyen, from her design of the artwork on our 2026 Downtown Akron Lunar New Year posters and web graphics.

The 2026 Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Celebration is presented by the Downtown Akron Partnership with the generous support of the City of Akron, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, Lock 3, GAR Foundation, Akron Community Foundation, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron Children's Museum, the Akron Civic Theatre, and the Downtown Akron Lunar New Year planning committee. Additional community partners include Akron Public Schools, NIHF STEM Middle School, Asian Services in Action, Akron METRO RTA, and the University of Akron Zips Activity Board.