Parade, Fireworks, Asian Cuisine, Dancing Planned for Riverside Lunar Festival

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA – The sights, sounds and flavors of the Far East will saturate downtown Riverside on Jan. 28 as the city celebrates the advent of the Lunar New Year.

The seventh annual "Asian Pacific Lunar New Year Festival" will feature a parade, martial arts demonstrations, Asian cuisine and dancing.

"The Lunar Fest highlights some of the ways that Asian Pacific residents have helped to preserve and continue to build our community," festival founder May Lynn Davis said.

"Though many people know that Asian Pacific Americans have had a significant impact on Southern California, quite often they are unaware of the degree to which Asian cultures have been woven into the multifaceted fabric of Riverside and the inland region," she said.

Daylong festivities will get underway with a "Parade of Nations" along the Main Street pedestrian mall, Ninth Street, Market Street to Mission Inn Avenue, and ending at Lime Street.

Afterward, several tea pavilions will open outside the downtown library at Lemon Street and Mission Inn Avenue -- the hub of the day's activities, according to organizers. Teas from China, Japan, Korea, India and Thailand will be served.

An international food court will be set up on Lemon Street, between Mission Inn and Sixth Street, where festival-goers can sample overseas cuisine.

Kung-Fu, karate and other martial arts demonstrations are planned, along with an Orient-themed pop/rock concert and traditional lion and dragon dancing.

Vendors forming a makeshift marketplace outside the Riverside Public Library will be selling a variety of trinkets, artwork and other goods. Lemon Street, Orange Street and Mission Inn Avenue will be shut down in the area immediately surrounding the staging grounds.

Mayor Rusty Bailey and other city officials are expected to make appearances before the festivities conclude with an evening fireworks extravaganza.

Observances of the Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, last about a month.

The Asian Pacific Cultural Association, which promotes Far East and Pacific Rim cultures and their contributions to the region, is the festival's main sponsor.

More information is available at http://lunarfestriverside.com/ .

ALSO COMING UP IN THE AREA:

• Superhero 5k Run/Walk, Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival: Indio
• Pechanga's 9th Annual Chocolate Decadence: Temecula
• Bubble RUN SoCal! - Lake Elsinore
• 2017 Southwest Arts Festival - Indio
• Hello Kitty Cafe Truck: Temecula

--City News Service/Image via LunarFest