Year of the Horse at the Museum
Date:
February 21 & 22, 2026
Location:
Chinese Canadian Museum
[51 E Pender St Vancouver, BC V6A 1S9]
Schedule:
10 A.M. to 5 P.M.
(various activity times)
Cost:
Included with museum admission
February 17, 2026 marks the start of the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse. Celebrate at the museum on February 21–22 with a festive weekend of family-friendly activities including treats, drop-in crafts, and cooking workshops.
On Saturday, February 21, enjoy live performances of the audio play Bun Fun New Year in English and Cantonese by Five Blessings Collective.
On Sunday, February 22, after the Chinatown Parade, join Chef Christopher Leow for a hands-on Prosperity Salad (撈起魚生) cooking workshop, and drop in to make a Lunar New Year couplet (揮春) with Bagua Artist Association.
Celebration Partner
Programs – Saturday, February 21
Treat Tasting: Tray of Togetherness Lunar New Year Treats
Saturday & Sunday all day
Sample some common Chinese candies and treats that are eaten during the New Year and learn about the symbolism behind items in the traditional Chinese “Tray of Togetherness” (新年全盒)!
Audio Play Performance: Bun Fun New Year with Five Blessings Collective
Saturday at 11:30 A.M. (English) and 1:30 P.M (Cantonese)
Celebrate Lunar New Year with an audio play performance for all ages in English or Cantonese! Five Blessings kicks off this Lunar New Year with tales from our bunny friends at the Bao household. In the midst of preparing for the special family feast, twinned bunnies Bunnifer and Bunnithy learn the true meaning of new year festivities and a couple of… interesting… recipes along the way.
English Cast: Aidan Chan, Amanda Sum, Nancy Tam, Derek Chan, Christopher Lam
Cantonese Cast: Athena Chan, Howie Kwan, Lynne Lee, Robin Leung, Angus Yam
Drop-in Crafts: Pencil Ponies
Saturday from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M.
Celebrate the Chinese zodiac animal of 2026 – the Horse – and craft a lucky pony topper for your very own CCM pencil to take home!
Programs – Sunday, February 22
Cooking Workshop: Lunar New Year Prosperity Salad with Chef Christopher Leow
Sunday at 12–1 P.M. and 3–4 P.M.
Advance registration required ($5+GST per participant):
Purchase tickets Led by chef-educator Christopher Leow, this hands-on workshop explores Yu Sheng (撈起魚生), a symbolic Lunar New Year dish from Singapore and Malaysia. Learn its cultural significance, help prepare the ingredients, and join the joyful tradition of tossing the salad while sharing auspicious wishes for the year ahead.
Drop-in Workshop: Lunar New Year Couplets with Bagua Artist Association
Sunday from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M.
Each year, Bagua Art Association creates its own hand-carved linocut Spring Couplets (Cantonese: 揮春 Fai Chun / Mandarin: 春聯 Chun Lian) as part of its Lunar New Year tradition. Join the artist duo for a drop-in workshop to print your own Spring Couplets for the Year of the Fire Horse, using original designs and hand-carved lino blocks featuring auspicious phrases and motifs. Participants can mix and match blocks to create custom combinations and will be guided through the printing process on traditional red paper to take home.
Guest Speakers
Five Blessings Collective
Five Blessings is a collective of five Chinese Canadian performance artists—Nancy Tam, Derek Chan, Robyn Jacob, Jasmine Chen, and Howard Dai—who create work across theatre, sound and music, movement, and performance. Made up of first- and second-generation settlers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, Five Blessings explores and celebrates the complexities of stories and traditions from the Chinese diaspora through song, audio plays, film, and stage works. A Year in Blessings, Five Blessings’ five-episode multilingual audio play series, introduces young audiences to Chinese holidays through storytelling and sound.
Chef Christopher Leow
Christopher is a chef-educator, serial entrepreneur, and TV host with over a decade of experience in food and farming. He has worked in Chinese Fine Dining, Japanese Ramen, French and Italian kitchens. He uses food as a way to bring people together, sharing stories, memories, and lived experiences shaped by growing up in Southeast Asia as a Chinese Singaporean with Teochew heritage. His workshops centre on heritage dishes that carry meaning, sparking connection across cultures and generations.
Bagua Artist Association
Bagua Artist Association 八卦藝術家協會 is an artist duo (Katharine Meng-Yuan Yi and Sean Cao) living and working on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations (Vancouver, Canada). Yi holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of British Columbia, and Cao holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Formed in 2018, Bagua’s multidisciplinary practice explores the duo’s common interest and shared lived experience as first-generation immigrant settlers. Bagua’s research-based and socially engaged practice examines the quotidian, popular culture and folk arts through a migratory lens and re-envisions traditions and current phenomena with a focus on contemporary Chinese diaspora discourse.
Bagua Artist Association has exhibited in Canada and China. The duo have been awarded grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, and their public artworks have been commissioned by the City of Vancouver and the City of Richmond. Bagua has initiated and organized numerous participatory projects based in Vancouver’s Chinatown community. Their work Across Endless Waters and Mountains, Sentiments Persist is currently on view in the feature exhibition Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s – 2000s at the Chinese Canadian Museum.
Family Discovery
Our monthly Family Discovery programs welcome visitors of all ages!
Turn your museum visit into a memorable experience with our Family Discovery days, with programs designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and connection across generations.
Our Family Discovery days often feature a vibrant mix of hands-on art-making, interactive story times, special museum tours, and engaging activities that celebrate Chinese cultural holidays and bring the themes of our current exhibitions to life.
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July 1 at the Museum
Join us this July 1 in celebrating Chinese Canadian legacies and culture. From conversations around historical memory, creative crafts, and a special musical performance, there’s something for the whole family!
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“Clan of the Painted Lady” Film Screening & Director Q&A
Join director Jennifer Chiu for a special screening of her latest film exploring her Hakka-Canadian heritage, followed by an audience Q&A.
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Wearing the Cheongsam: Chinese Canadian Identity Through Fashion
Join Cheryl Sim and Mia Wu, owner and senior tailor at Modernize Tailors, for a presentation discussion on contemporary cheongsam trends, garment production, and cultural appropriation.
