By Mariah Terry – February 25, 2018

Bright red and yellow balloons lined the corridors at NorthPark Center. Crowds surrounding the central area of the mall gathered to witness performances of one of the world’s oldest cultures. The year of the dog had begun.

The Chinese New Year Festival took place Saturday, February 17 and consisted of traditional Chinese dance, music, theater and artwork. Colors and florals overwhelmed the central stage, as the Dallas Symphony orchestra began the day with a rendition of traditional Chinese folk music. Following acts were as varied as acrobatics, Qipao, opera and Kung Fu.

Carle Shi, a New York based artist, whose work has been featured in China, Italy and the United States, introduced festival-goers to the tradition of Chinese brush painting, which dates back thousands of years.

“I’m demonstrating Chinese calligraphy to Texas people, to expose them to diversity and to create a cultural experience,” Shi said. “It’s important to let people know how many different cultures we have in this country.”

Bad weather  pushed the event’s organizer, the Crow Collection of Asian Art, to move the afternoon celebration from the original location, Klyde Warren Park, to the indoor shelter of NorthPark. Attendees came from as far away as Israel to participate in and enjoy the most important celebration of the vibrant Chinese culture.

“We’ve had about 10,000 people come through today,” said Carolyn Burtt, a volunteer with the Crow Collection. “It was raining this morning, and the crew couldn’t set up. Luckily NorthPark is one of our sponsors, and they said we could move it here. I mean, look around. It’s been very successful.”

Festival announcements were made in both English and Mandarin, and several Chinese cultural organizations were represented through the many activities set up for families to participate in. The Dallas Chinese Community Center offered photos with models in traditional dress and passed out red envelopes to all children who visited its table.

“DCCC is a big part of the Dallas Chinese community,” said Sophie Zhang, a volunteer with the Dallas Chinese Community Center. “We’ve gotten a lot of exposure today. It’s cool to see people interested in our event.”

The festival, which lasted from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. maintained a steady flow of attendees. Masses of people crowded both the upper and lower levels of the mall center, as well as down long stretches of the corridors leading off of the food court.

“The purpose of this event is to expose people to an Asian culture and to celebrate their new year, the year of the dog,” Burtt said.

To celebrate the beginning of the year of the dog, volunteers from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts sketched pet portraits, with proceeds supporting the Crow Collection’s free educational programs. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also participated by setting up a mobile adoption center at the festival. Starting at noon with several dogs, all but two had been adopted by 5 p.m.