The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announces the first ever Lunar New Year celebration at the World Trade Center campus

  • Themed events to include New Year Lion Dance in the Oculus in partnership with Westfield and Brookfield Place
  • Spire on top of One World Trade Center to be lit red and gold in honor of Lunar New Year.

New York City, New York, United States, 2019-Jan-30 — /Travel PR News/ — Building on its goal to promote diversity and inclusion, the Port Authority, in partnership with Westfield and Brookfield Place, announced today ( Jan 28, 2019) that the first ever Lunar New Year celebration will be staged on the World Trade Center campus with several activities planned for the first two weeks in February.

The Lunar New Year events will kick off on Saturday, February 2, with an interactive coloring activity during which children will be provided with envelopes and supplies to color an envelope with a theme related to the new year event. The completed envelopes will then be posted on a pre-marked wall that will provide a backdrop for photographs.

On Friday, February 8, an Arts and Music Celebration will be held in partnership with the Asian Cultural Center. From 2 p.m. through 8:30 p.m., an art display celebrating Lunar New Year will be featured in the Oculus. Over 20 artists will participate in the exhibition, which was organized by PLC Ltd. And the atman curation. At 7:30 p.m., the Asian Cultural Symphony, a 60-piece orchestra, will play in the Oculus to ring in the Year of the Pig. The symphony previously has participated in hundreds of performances across the United States, including at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the United Nation’s headquarters.

The celebration will conclude on Saturday, February 9, with a Lunar New Year Lion Dance beginning at 1:30 p.m. The dance will begin in the Oculus and proceed through the West Concourse into the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place to kick off their Lunar New Year performance at 2 p.m.

In addition to the public events, the spire on top of One World Trade Center will be lit red and gold on February 3, 4 and 5 to mark the Lunar New Year.

“The World Trade Center has always been a worldwide icon, symbolizing the cultures of countries from around the globe. That’s why it’s important that we celebrate some of the important holidays and traditions from other countries on this rebuilt campus, such as the Lunar New Year,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “These upcoming activities will continue our ongoing initiatives to create an engaging and appealing year-round customer experience and enable the campus to be a hub for community and cultural activities in Lower Manhattan.”

“We are excited to partner with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Durst Organization and the China Institute to celebrate Lunar New Year,” said Shari C. Hyman, Vice President of Westfield World Trade Center. “Westfield World Trade Center is a vibrant and multicultural destination where we embrace and celebrate the diversity of the communities we serve.”

“The transformation of the World Trade Center site into one of New York’s great public spaces is being driven by our dynamic and innovative programming,” said Robert Becker of The Durst Organization. “We are proud to light the spire of One World Trade Center in honor of Lunar New Year and to participate in the celebration of the Year of the Pig.”

“In 2018, more than 1.1 million tourists from China visited New York. Besides, there are also a large number of Chinese Americans living in New York and surrounding areas. The first ever celebration of Lunar New York at the World Trade Center marks the harmonious symbiosis of multiculturalism, and will surely attract more visitors to the area,” said Liyan Li, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in New York.

Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where the 1,776-foot-tall One World Trade Center is now the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the State of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit. For more information, please visit http://www.panynj.gov.

Contact:
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
212-435-7777

Source: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey