It was a wonderful and fortunate day at Elmhurst Community Library on Saturday, February 18 as Queens Library held an all-day Lunar New Year Festival.

All three floors of our newest library hosted special events, and over 4,000 guests joined us throughout the day, easily the most people who have attended a Queens Library event this year. Our guests came to Elmhurst from all over Queens, and even as far away as Long Island and Staten Island!

We started the Year of the Rooster celebration with a traditional ceremonial lion dance, followed by painting, calligraphy, and crafts for the kids in attendance. They also received lucky red envelopes for the New Year!

Next were free Chinese delicacies for our guests like dumplings, spring rolls, and pan fried noodles, followed by a Fashion/Music/Dance show featuring Fresh Meadows’s own Ba Ban Chinese Music Society, along with a volunteer community dance group from the Elmhurst area and local musician Qinni Lee playing the pipa.

The day was capped off by a raffle with prizes donated by local community organizations, including a rice cooker, toasters, a spice rack, and golden rooster key chains

“Everyone enjoyed the whole event tremendously,” said Community Library Manager Yasha Hu. “We’re so excited that so many people came to visit Elmhurst, and they’re already looking forward to next year's Lunar New Year Festival.”

Photos: Qinni Lee played the pipa for our Lunar New Year guests, while some of our youngest festivalgoers showed us their artistic skills.