A Little Time and a Keyboard: Celebrate Chinese New Year at Chicago Botanic Garden

Celebrate Chinese New Year at Chicago Botanic Garden

Monday, February 9, 2015


**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

In addition to celebrating Valentine's Day, February is also time to celebrate the Chinese New Year! So many celebrations for such a short month! I know many of you are curious so if you have not already learned, this year is the Year of the Sheep! The Chicago Botanic Garden has a fun event coming up to help your family celebrate the Chinese New Year and experience a little bit of Chinese culture!

This year's event will be held on February 21 from 11AM-3PM and will include two free shadow puppet performances by the Shaanxi Folk Arts Group from the Shaanxi Province. The group will use ancient shadow puppetry to bring alive selections from Chinese folklore. The talented group includes one of China's leading experts in puppet making, professional puppet performers and embroidery, puppet making and paper cutting craftsmen. The puppet shows will be at 11AM and 1PM. What a fun and culturally rich way to spend a winter day!

Drop in programs will also give families more flavor through hands-on experiences. Activities will include cutting paper into animal shapes, flowers and figures using ancient Chinese techniques and crafting traditional Chinese paintings. Families will also be able to get an up close look at how puppets are crafted. Kids will also enjoy getting pictures with puppets! Fun, fun and fun!

Chinese New Year at the Chicago Botanic Garden is free. The Orchid Show will also be in full swing during the event, so you may want to consider a brief visit to the tropics! Tickets for the Orchid Show are $10/nonmembers--$8 for kids and seniors. Members receive a discount. Parking fees apply for either event. Purchase a parking pass online for $20 to make things easier. General admission is free.

If you are curious about the Orchid Show and want to learn more, we will bringing so some more details next week! I don't know about you, but I am sure looking forward to some bright blooms to add some sparkle to winter!


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