As the Year of the Fire Horse charges in on Feb. 17, Minnesota’s Asian community is celebrating the Lunar New Year with dance, martial arts, visual art and community feasts. 

The holiday follows a grueling federal immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities and the Trump administration’s recent announcement ending “Operation Metro Surge.” While some staple celebrations at Midtown Global Market and Theater Mu were postponed this year, events across the state are keeping tradition alive. 

For Minneapolis-based artist Anika Schneider, celebrating the Lunar New Year in Minnesota is a bridge to her family history. Her floral paintings in “Chinese-ish” and ceramics in “Edible,” honor her grandmother, who emigrated from China in 1959. 

“A lot of my paintings explore my grandmother’s relationship to plants and her dying process, which led me to be able to explore my identity more specifically,” Schneider said. “The Lunar New Year is really just a time to come back to family, come back to where you’re from and connect with the community.”

Schneider grew up celebrating the Lunar New Year in Washington, D.C., attending lion dances and family meals at Chinese restaurants. She later moved to Minnesota for graduate school at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her work in painting, printmaking and ceramics often explore her Chinese heritage and mixed identity. 

This year, she will lead a printmaking workshop at the Minneapolis Institute of Art as part of its Lunar New Year programming. 

Here are eight ways to ring in the Year of the Horse:

Hoofbeats Through Time

If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the history of this year’s zodiac, head over to the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s “Year of the Horse: Hoofbeats Through Time” exhibit, which pulls 65 sets of works from the museum’s Chinese art collection. 

On Thursday, Feb. 19, the Meet at Mia series will ring in the Lunar New Year with an R&B set from DJ Chico Chi, a drypoint printmaking workshop with Schneider, dance performances from the Phoenix Dance Troupe and a curator talk exploring how the horse zodiac animal continues to shape creativity today. 

Seollal Lunar New Year

The Korean Cultural Association and Jangmi Arts will mark Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year, with a community marketplace, a dance performance and a dessert reception. 

Mall of America Lunar New Year Celebration

The Mall of America’s celebration includes live music, dance and martial arts demonstrations at the Huntington Bank Rotunda. A lantern display will be on view in the North Atrium through Feb. 28. 

Chinese New Year Celebration

At the Luce Line Brewing taproom in Plymouth, a celebration with the Chinese Heritage Foundation Friends (CHFF) will feature traditional lion dancing and kung fu demonstrations. 

Attendees can participate in workshops on dumpling-making, calligraphy, and the creation of porcelain medallions, paper lanterns and opera masks. 

“I was born in St. Paul in 1958 and there was a real lack of cultural connection, so I joined the foundation to learn some things and make new friends,” said Ida Lano, a chair member of CHFF. This Lunar New Year, “I hope people feel an appreciation for Chinese culture.”

Food will be available from Hana Bistro, alongside Luce Line Brewing’s beers and non-alcoholic drinks. 

Lunar New Year at Soke BBQ and Hotpot

Soke BBQ and Hotpot will be pairing its signature Japanese barbecue and hotpot dishes with a traditional lion dance performance. 

Community potluck

Twin Cities T’ai Chi, a nonprofit teaching Chinese meditation practices, will open its doors for a community potluck. 

Minnesota Orchestra concert

The Minnesota Orchestra’s program will bring together composers from across Asia and the global diaspora to tell stories of the Yellow River, Chinese zodiacs, the coexistence of cultures, and more. The program will end with the 1955 “Spring Festival Overture,” a work often played to ring in the new year. 

Dumpling feast

Keep the festivities going into March at the annual Twin Cities Dumpling Feast. Hosted by the Association of Sino-American Neocultural Exchange and Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society, the evening features Chinese calligraphy displays, lion dancing, Chinese ribbon dancing, and tai chi, alongside hands-on dumpling wrapping — a tradition meant to usher in good fortune. 

The menu includes seafood soup, fish filets, pan-fried noodles, pot-stickers, roast duck, lobster and more. 

Date: Thursday, March 19

Time: 5 to 9 p.m. 

Location: Peking Garden Chinese Restaurant, 394 University Ave. W., St. Paul

Cost: $45 per guest or $450 for a table of 10 guests. Register here by Monday, March 9

For more information: Visit mnasane.org