Celebrate Lunar New Year in Newmarket with music, dance, fashion

You can celebrate the Year of the Rabbit and ring in the Lunar New Year Saturday, Jan. 14 at Upper Canada Mall with interactive booths, music, dance and a fashion show.

The event, hosted by Upper Canada, Hillcrest Mall and the North Toronto Chinese Alliance Church, takes place in the centre court of the Newmarket mall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Eight interactive booths feature activities celebrating Lunar New Year traditions, including a Year of the Rabbit balloon twist, face painting, Polaroid photo fun, and DIY paper lanterns that are hung to symbolize happiness and good fortune. 

Other booths feature Fai Chun, a traditional decoration applied to doorways for good wishes and prosperity, and a lantern riddle booth for the lantern festival held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar in honour of deceased ancestors. 

A candy box booth offers the special red boxes with green pomegranate, dark seed, red seed, white milk and golden chocolate candies to signify togetherness, joy and good luck.

In the afternoon, there will be Lunar New Year music, a drum dance and Year of the Rabbit fashion show from 1 to 1:30 p.m. and a lion dance with Chinese instruments, children’s poems and more music from 3 to 3:30 p.m.

Aldo, Coles, Lush, MAC Cosmetics, Pandora and Sephora are among the stores with Lunar New Year collections and themed items available for purchase. 

You can also celebrate the Lunar New Year by learning about your lunar zodiac sign online.