The holiday falls on Sunday, Feb. 10. Some activities are under way and will continue through much of February. Las Vegas hosts a three-day Chinese New Year in the Desert festival Friday-Sunday, Feb. 8-10, downtown and a one-day event in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood on Sunday, Feb. 17.
Asians and Asian-Americans are a growing demographic in Las Vegas. More than 6 percent of the 589,000 people who live here are Asian, according U.S. Census estimates. About 3 percent of the city’s 39million annual visitors — totaling more than 1million people a year — are Asian or Asian-American, according to the 2011 Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study.
The period surrounding the lunar new-year holiday is a particularly popular time for leisure travel, especially among China’s growing middle class.
“They want to leave their homes and go travel during holidays,” said Jan-Ie Low, an organizer of the Chinese New Year in the Desert festival. She said that according to tradition, if you travel during the new-year holiday, “it’s a sign that you’re going to be doing this the whole year.”
This is the festival’s second year. A dragon dance on Friday, Feb. 8, will kick off with virtual fireworks on the 90-foot-high LED display canopy at Fremont Street Experience, the downtown pedestrian mall and entertainment area. A parade with floats steps off at 8 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 10. The festival also includes food vendors and other activities and events.
