It’s the Year of the Dragon, the fifth animal in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac.
The Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Celebration , presented for the third year by Downtown Akron Partnership, will run from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Akron Civic Theatre , 182 S. Main St.
The celebration will include food from downtown restaurants, information on Lunar New Year, crafts, performances and more. Last year’s event drew 2,000 attendees.
Doors will open at 3:30 p.m., with a Culture Fair running at the Knight Stage and the Akron Civic Theatre lobby from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Performances will begin on the main stage at 6 p.m.
Entertainment will include a Lion Dance by the Kwan Family Lion Dance Team . The Lion Dance helps to usher in the New Year and expel evil spirits.
Other professional groups as well as community members will perform on the Akron Civic Theatre stage. They include waist-drum performers from the Glory Drum Team of Cleveland, martial arts master Sen Gao, Wutang Center for Martial Arts in Akron, Stellar Acrobatic Dance Academy and dance soloist Emily Su.