Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville (CAAN) is hosting its annual Chinese New Year Celebration at Musicians Corner, Centennial Park on Saturday, 2/21/2026, from 11 AM to 3 PM.

Free registration is highly recommended to assist us to plan the event better for everyone.

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is the most important and celebrated festival for Chinese people around the world including the Chinese Americans in middle TN.  It is a time to honor our ancestors, and it is also a time for family reunion, visiting relatives and friends.  Decorating red couplets at the doors or entrances is to avoid evil spirits, red envelopes are given to the children and elders to wish them good health and good fortune. Lion dance, dragon dance, and street folk dances are often performed to bring good luck to the community.  Firecrackers were ​l​it to scare away the legendary beast, and mark the new beginning of the new year.

This coming Lunar New Year is the Year of the Horse.  Horse symbolizes vitality, perseverance, warm heartedness, and success.

Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville (CAAN) is collaborating with many organizations and schools to make this 11th Annual Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year Celebration an exciting free event for the public. 

We are grateful for the grants support from the Nissan Foundation, TN Arts Commission, Vanderbilt University, Metro Arts Commission, and the public!