25th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration
1000 Oak st, Oakland
February 21, 2026
Oakland Museum of California rang in the Lunar New Year with a celebration rooted in community and embodiment, marking the twenty fifth year of the museum’s annual event. Under clear skies and warm spring sunlight, hundreds of guests gathered on the lawn to watch performances, take part in hands-on activities, and share food with their families.
Storytelling, crafts for children, and food trucks serving AAPI specialties were spread throughout the grounds, creating an immersive experience. The program opened on the Garden Stage with a traditional lion dance by LionDanceME, drawing cheers from the crowd as the brightly costumed lions leapt and bowed for luck in the Year of the Fire Horse.
Seiji Oda leads the crowd through breath work (L). Guests at OMCA's Lunar New Year celebration take part in a guided meditation (R).
Bay Area musician Seiji Oda, known for weaving playful references to his Asian heritage into his work, led the audience through a guided meditation. Oda, whose 2019 collaboration “Trapanese” with lil ricefield gained viral attention, invited the crowd to focus on breath work and a grounded horse stance. Families followed along, smiling as they moved together.
Afterward, Oda asked for song requests. Fans who had traveled long distances to see him shared brief stories about the impact of his music. He welcomed several onto the stage, working with them to recreate his songs and at times handing over the microphone so the audience could join in.
Hand made red envelopes hang on branches at OMCA's Lunar New Year Celebration (L). Town Print offered a unique screen print commemorating OMCA's 25th Lunar New Year Celebration (R).
Inside the museum and along its walkways, a pop up marketplace featured local vendors including Fabula Tea, Little Moon Bakehouse and Oakland Fortune Factory, offering sweets and specialty goods to take home. Children crafted horse puppets and decorated red envelopes at activity tables, while Town Print printed, signed, and numbered a commemorative poster for the occasion. Author Benson Shum read from his picture book Anzu the Great Kaiju, and the Oakland Public Library hosted a story time with songs and movement.
Afternoon performances highlighted a range of Asian and diasporic traditions, including Nanta, Samgomu and Pan Gut, as well as kulintang music and Filipino dance presented by KULARTS. The AGOS Youth Program and Alleluia Panis Dance Theater offered folk and diasporic Filipino dances, each accompanied by brief explanations of their origins. In one piece, a pair of dancers echoed the movements of a rooster and hen, blending stylized grace with precise, birdlike gestures.
Despite the steady turnout, the museum’s open layout kept foot traffic moving comfortably. Visitors drifted between stages, market stalls and gallery entrances without feeling rushed.
The celebration concluded with a high energy performance by the UC Berkeley Vietnamese Student Association Lion and Dragon Dance Team. The lions stepped off the stage and into the crowd, playfully batting their eyelashes at laughing children and posing for photos.
By day’s end, the museum’s Lunar New Year festival delivered both festivity and reflection, pairing the color and sound of tradition with a gentle reminder to care for mental health, strengthen community ties and carry that spirit into the year ahead.
