qingdaoThe Long Beach – Qingdao China Sister City Association (LBQA) will ring in the Year of the Monkey with magic, food and culture during its Annual Chinese New Year and Spring Festival Celebration on Saturday, February 20. The festival, to take place from 4:00PM to 7:00PM at Long Beach City College (LBCC), will be held for its 16th consecutive year.

New on the performance docket will be the Long Beach Ballet and the participation of the Cal State Long Beach Confucius Institute. Returning acts will include the Awakening Blessing Chinese Lion Dance, Chinese musical performances, a magic show, a performance by the High Tides Quartet, a Martial Arts demonstration and a silent auction and raffle. The LBCC Culinary Department will also provide dinner for attendees.

“As MC I always have a great time seeing people enjoy the event, especially the children,” said Chairman David Griffith. “My whole family participates in different parts of the event and this is our third year as hosts.”

The mission of the 30-year-old LBQA, established in 1985, is to promote an understanding between Long Beach and its sister city, Quingdao, located in the eastern Shandong Province of China. The organization fulfills this mission by “pledging to assist exchange and trade between the people of the two great cities,” according to the website.

To pre-purchase tickets, click here. For more information about the LBQA, click here.  

LBCC is located at 4901 East Carson Street.

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Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].