Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Snake

Name: Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Snake
Start: 2025-02-15T10:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-02-15T17:00:00-05:00
Location: Peabody Essex Museum

Schedule

Sat Feb 15 2025 at 10:00 am to 05:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Peabody Essex Museum | Salem, MA

Saturday, February 15, 2025 from 10 am—5 pm
In-person event
Location: Main Atrium and East India Marine Hall
Included with admission
Visitors with sensory sensitivities are encouraged to utilize our KultureCity resources or pick up a sensory kit at the coatroom.
10 am–1 pm: SOLD OUT! Advanced ticketholder access only. No general admission. Advanced ticketholder access only. Space is limited and tickets will likely sell out. Museum galleries will not be open until after the morning performance concludes.
1–5 pm: Museum opens for general admission and non-ticketed programming.
The afternoon Gund Kwok performance may be adapted to an indoor event in the event of rain or inclement weather.
Come welcome the Year of the Snake with a vibrant festival heralding new beginnings and the coming of spring! Reserve your tickets for PEM’s annual Dragon Dance at 10:30 am, and enjoy a scavenger hunt, art making and guided tours of Yin Yu Tang in the afternoon.
Lunar New Year is celebrated in many Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. While some traditions are shared across countries, others are unique to one region, community or national cultural identity. Our programming this year focuses on Chinese cultural traditions.
Please note that museum galleries will not open until after the performance concludes.
SOLD OUT! Dance Performance | Gund Kwok: Asian Women’s Lion and Dragon Dance Troupe
10:30–11:30 am
Reservations required. Limited tickets available.
Main Atrium
THIS PERFORMANCE IS SOLD OUT! Experience the energy and grace of Gund Kwok, the first all-Asian women’s Lion and Dragon Dance troupe in the U.S. Stick around after the performance for a chance to interact with the performers and meet their dragons up close!
1 pm: Museum opens for general admission
Drop-In Art Making: Decorating Red Envelopes
1–4 pm
East India Marine Hall
Decorate your own red envelope, a symbol of luck and prosperity in Chinese culture. Suitable for all ages.
Dragon Quest
1–5 pm | Ground Level, Level 2 and Level 3
Explore all three levels of the museum on the hunt for dragons and snakes! Claim your prize in the Garden Atrium. Suitable for all ages.
Outdoor Dance Performance | Gund Kwok: Asian Women’s Lion and Dragon Dance Troupe
1:15–1:45 pm
Essex Street in front of the museum’s Main Entrance
Experience the energy and grace of Gund Kwok, the first all-Asian women’s Lion and Dragon Dance troupe in the U.S.
In the event of rain or inclement weather, the dragons will greet visitors inside the Main Atrium and roam throughout the museum instead.
Self-Guided Tours | Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home
1:15–4:15 pm; Every 30 minutes
Reservations required. Limited same-day tickets available at the Information desk beginning at 1 pm.
Yin Yu Tang — translated as “Hall of Plentiful Shelter” — was home to the Huang family for nearly two hundred years. For over 20 years, Yin Yu Tang has been a gateway into understanding the art and culture of generations of families living and working in rural Southeastern China.
Yin Yu Tang is currently undergoing work to preserve its roof tiles and masonry walls. During your visit, scaffolding may be present and work may be actively underway. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
About the Artists
Gund Kwok was founded in February 1998 as the first all-Asian women's Lion and Dragon Dance troupe in the United States. The troupe, whose name means “heroine” in Chinese, empowers Asian and Asian American women by giving them an opportunity to express their creativity, power and strength through performing the lion and dragon dances.
The Atrium Café will not be open until 1 pm. The Museum Shop is open from 10 am–5 pm. Yin Yu Tang timed tickets will not be available to reserve until 1 pm.