Phoenix to honor Chinese New Year with weeklong celebration

PHOENIX — In honor of the Chinese New Year, Phoenix will be kicking off a week-long celebration, praising different traditions and cultures of Chinese residents.

The 26th Annual Phoenix Chinese Week will celebrate the new year, kicking off with traditional performances meant to bring good luck throughout the year. The week will wrap up with a 3-day festival, starting Friday.

Phoenix Chinese Week President Eva Li said its important to celebrate different cultures in order to avoid conflict between different groups of people.

In order to celebrate 2016, otherwise known as the Year of the Monkey, the week-long event will be highlighted by a culture and cuisine festival at Margaret Hance Park in Phoenix. The festival will feature more than 70 vendors, entertainment, exhibits, music, art and activities for families.

Phoenix City Councilwoman Laura Pastor, who is the representative for Phoenix’s sister city, Chengdu, China, said this year’s festival will have something new.

“There will be a beer garden this year,” she said. “It’ll be the first year, so we’re going to see how it goes and see if we can attract more people to our festival.”

Pastor said those born in the Year of the Monkey are believed to be, “intelligent, dignified, optimistic, and romantic.”