2025 Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Parade, set for February 16, cancelled due to rain forecast.

The 2025 Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Parade, set to march through Squirrel Hill on February 16, has been cancelled due to the forecast of rain. Some festivities have been moved inside the Jewish Cultural Center (JCC).

Unfortunately the weather prediction for Sunday February 16th is 90% chance of rain with intermittent winds. Therefore the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition and the OCA Asian American Advocates of Pittsburgh decided to cancel the outdoor Lunar New Year parade scheduled for noon on Sunday. As we consider the beginning of the New Year the safety of our performers and participants is essential. We apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation has caused.

The relatively new annual tradition was aiming to return in 2025 after taking 2024 off.

Opening reception for Jordan Wong (WONGFACE)'s PRACTICE +/-, February 28 at The Portal.

The Portal Art Gallery will host an opening reception for a new exhibition by Jordan Wong (WONGFACE) titled PRACTICE +/- on February 28. From the artist:

PRACTICE +/- builds upon my recent "Play is Infinite" exhibition at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (on view until May). This body of work furthers my imaginative exploration of the Ultimate Self, the endless possibilities of leveling up in life, and the transformative power of play.

The opening reception will be held 5:30 to 7:30 pm on the 28th, and The Portal is located at 6425 Penn Ave in Bakery Square (map).

Annual Matsuri at Carnegie Mellon, February 23.

The Japanese Student Association at Carnegie Mellon University will present its annual Matsuri on February 23, from 12:00 to 6:00 pm in the Rangos Ballroom on the 2nd floor of the Cohon University Center (map).

We are excited to announce CMU JSA’s major event of the year, our spring Matsuri! This year’s theme is 縁日（Ennichi）. Translated literally, it means a day of connections and signifies a major festival in Japan.

Join us on February 23rd, from 12-6 PM in the Cohon University Center Rangos Ballroom to play some traditional Japanese games, eat winter-themed Japanese foods, and watch performances from both university students and local Pittsburgh performers.

Feel free to reach out over Instagram or through our website cmujsa.com/matsuri for more information! We look forward to seeing you there!

本格的な冬の寒さも退け暖かい陽が戻ってきたなか、いかがお過ごしでしょうか。カーネギーメロン日本人学生会です。

この度は2月23日に我々が開催する祭りの広報、又ご参加をおねがいしたく連絡させていただいております。テーマは「縁日」ということでこのピッツバーグの冬のなか少しでも日本の夏を思い出していただくことを願いこのイベントを主催しています。日本での祭りを模した食べ物や遊び、パフォーマンスを用意させていただきます。お子様も大歓迎ですのでもしよろしければご家族での参加などを楽しみにしています。場所はカーネギーメロン大学の Cohon University Center の2階にあるRangosという部屋、開場は昼の12時、閉場は午後6時とさせていただきます。

当日にお会い出来るのを楽しみにしています。

New time for Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Parade on Sunday, February 16.

Organizers have moved the start time of the Lunar New Year Parde through Squirrel Hill from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the hopes of finding warmer weather. The relatively new annual tradition returns in 2025 after taking 2024 off. The parade moves up Murray Ave. from Phillips Ave. to Forbes Ave. (map).

Win-Win Kung Fu in Squirrel Hill now accepting applications for six-week summer camp for kids' martial arts, fitness, culture, and language training; $30 discount for registration by April 30.

Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center's annual summer camp returns for six weeks of programming in July, and the school is now accepting applications. 

 Camp Schedule:

• Week 1: July 7 – 11
• Week 2: July 14 – 18
• Week 3: July 21 – 25
• Week 4: July 28 – August 1
• Week 5: August 4 – 8
• Week 6: August 11 – 15

 Location: Squirrel Hill Studio – 2705-2707 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
 Time: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (optional extended care until 5:30 PM)
 Ages: 5 – 15 years

 What to Expect

 Learn Kung Fu/Wushu/Tai Chi from champion masters
 Train in martial arts fundamentals
 Boost focus, fitness, and confidence with intensive training
 Dive into Mandarin language, Chinese culture, games, and movies
 Have fun in a supportive and engaging environment

 Tuition & Registration

• $240 per 5-day week (Save $30 when you register by April 30!)
• 10% discount for siblings
• New students: One-time $90 registration fee (includes a pair of training shoes, T-shirt, and training pants)
• Free registration for current Win-Win students
• Only 25 spots per week – First Come, First Serve!

 How to Register
 Current Win-Win students: Complete the selection form and submit a 20% tuition deposit.
 New students: Fill out the registration form, sign the waiver, complete the selection form, and submit a 20% tuition deposit along with the $90 registration fee.

Seats fill up fast, so don’t miss out on a summer of fun and learning!

For questions or to register, call (412) 336-8898 or email masters [at] winwinkungfu.com.

The studio is located at 2705 Murray Ave., on the ground floor of the Morrowfield building in Squirrel Hill South (map). 

The Way of Tea 茶道: Recital and Ceremony, March 10 at The Art Room.

Pittsburgh Opera will present "The Way of Tea 茶道: Recital and Ceremony" on March 10, part of a series of events surrounding its production of Madama Butterfly starting on March 22.

Ceremony

The tea ceremony, or Chado (The Way of Tea), is a traditional Japanese art involving the ritualistic preparation of tea. Influenced by the philosophy of Zen Buddhism, the core teaching of chado is to attain a spiritual state of selflessness and peacefulness through making and sharing tea. Join us to learn the history and philosophy of Japanese tea ceremony while tasting Japanese tea and sweets.

Yuko Eguchi is a native of Tokyo, Japan and holds a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Pittsburgh. She received her tea master title and name, Soyu, in 2009 and the associate professor of tea title in 2013, certified by the head master of the Urasenke school. Yuko has performed and lectured on Japanese traditional arts at various higher institutions.

Recital

Japanese mezzo-soprano, Nozomi Kato, is in demand at leading opera houses in Italy, Spain, Japan and beyond. In particular, she has made a name for herself internationally as Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, which she will perform at Pittsburgh Opera in March of 2025 reprising her role in a production originated at Cincinnati Opera (dir: Matthew Ozawa).

The evening of events starts at 6:00 pm, and tickets are available online. The Art Room is located at 2010 Smallman St. in the Strip District (map).

Book Talk: Conversation with author Laura Gao, February 6 at Pitt.

via Wharton Magazine

The University Library System and Alliance of Queer and Underrepresented Asians in Recognition of Intersectionality to Uphold Solidarity (AQUARIUS) will host a conversation with Laura Gao on February 6.

This collaborative event, hosted by ULS and the Alliance of Queer and Underrepresented Asians in Recognition of Intersectionality to Uphold Solidarity (AQUARIUS), brings together a diverse community to engage in meaningful conversation and reflection.

4:30–5:00 PM:

Join our student representative for a book club session, featuring a group reading followed by a discussion. Faculty members and a librarian will facilitate the conversation, offering insights and fostering dialogue around the themes of the book.

5:00–6:00 PM:

Book Talk: A Conversation with Laura Gao

Engage in an intimate roundtable discussion with Laura Gao, moderated by faculty, students, and librarians. The conversation will explore crucial topics such as queer identity, Asian American experiences, and the intersectionality of these themes in contemporary society.

The event runs from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on the first floor of Hillman Library (map).

Pittsburgh Opera’s Madama Butterfly Panel Discussion: Women’s Role in Tech, Video Games, Manga, and Comic Books, March 13 in East Liberty.

Photo credit: Philip Groshon, Cincinnati Opera

The Carnegie Library branch in East Liberty will host "Pittsburgh Opera’s Madama Butterfly Panel Discussion: Women’s Role in Tech, Video Games, Manga, and Comic Books" on March 13.

Join us for a free panel discussion with RAD Pass participating organization Pittsburgh Opera where we will explore Women’s Role in Video Games, Anime, Manga, and Comic Books. Women have often been unrealistically represented in these art forms leading to detrimental outcomes in the real world. This discussion aims to unpack the origins of female representation in art and explore the fine line between fandom and fetish.

Pittsburgh Opera leads this discussion in anticipation of its groundbreaking new production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Created by an all-Japanese and Japanese American creative team, the story is set in a fantastical realm where reality and dreams intersect.

“The male protagonist, Pinkerton, puts on a VR headset and transports us into a vibrant virtual reality playground where he has ultimate control. As his avatar, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant, he can seduce and marry Cio-Cio San, his fantasy girl, and abandon her just as easily. But to Cio-Cio San, this is no game and the love and betrayal she feels is all too real.”

Attendees receive a discounted ticket offer to the performance of Madama Butterfly of their choice (March 22nd, 25th, 28th, and 30th) and will be entered into a raffle to receive a pair of free tickets. All performances of Madama Butterfly will take place downtown at the Benedum Center.

The event runs from 6:30 to 7:30 pm at 130 S. Whitfield St. in East Liberty (map). A reminder that Pittsburgh Opera is recruiting panelists for this event; those interested in participating should email Rebekah Diaz, Director, IDEA Initiatives/Community Engagement, at rdiaz@pittsburghopera.org.

CMU 2025 Chinese New Year Celebration, January 31.

The Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics' Chinese Studies program at Carnegie Mellon University will host a Chinese New Year Celebration on January 31.

Come to celebrate Chinese New Years with the Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics! Free and open to the public, this event will feature many fun activities with rich Chinese cultural aspects including performances, snacks, games and raffles.

This celebration is co-hosted by LCAL's Chinese Studies program and CMU's Chinese Students Association.

It runs from 7:30 to 9:30 pm in the Rangos Ballroom on the second floor of the Cohon University Center (map).

Lunar New Year Celebration, February 1 at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel.

The Cooper-Siegel Community Library will host a Lunar New Year Celebration on February 1.

Celebrate and learn about the Lunar New Year! This annual celebration organized by the Asian community of the Fox Chapel area features a wide variety of different festival activities. Final plans are still being made, but previous years have included: traditional Chinese music performed by Dorseyville Middle School students, taekwondo performed by the Young Brothers Taekwondo School students, a dragon parade, storytelling, crafts, as well as treats and gifts.

All ages are welcome.

The event runs from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. Registration is required and can be completed online. The Cooper-Siegel Community Library is located at 403 Fox Chapel Rd. (map).

Call for panelists for discussion about women’s roles in tech, video games, manga, anime, and comic books ahead of Madama Butterfly, March 13.

Photo credit: Philip Groshon, Cincinnati Opera

Pittsburgh Opera shares a call for panelists for an upcoming discussion on wmen’s roles in tech, video games, manga, anime, and comic books on March 13.

Pittsburgh Opera and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh are partnering on a panel discussion about women’s roles in tech, video games, manga, anime, and comic books as Pittsburgh Opera prepares for its mainstage production of Madama Butterfly. If you are a subject area expert in any of these areas that would be open to participating on the panel on the evening March 13th at the East Liberty Branch please email Rebekah Diaz at rdiaz@pittsburghopera.org. Pittsburgh Opera would love for your insights to be shared during this discussion that is free and open to the public!

Chinese New Year’s Eve Social, January 28 at Carnegie Mellon.

Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics' Chinese Studies program will host a Chinese New Year's Eve Social on Tuesday, January 28.

Free and open to the public, all are welcome to join us for CMU's Chinese New Year's Eve Social.

It runs from 12:30 to 3:30 pm in the Rangos Ballroom on the second floor of the Cohon University Center (map).

2025 Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala, January 25.

The Pittsburgh Chinese Culture Center (PCCC) will hold its annual Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala on January 25 at the PNC Theater downtown.

Lunar New Year is the most important holiday celebrated by many international communities around the world. This year, the Pittsburgh Chinese Culture Center (PCCC) is once again partnering with the Pittsburgh Playhouse to present the annual Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala, celebrating the Year of the Snake.

For the first time, the Gala will feature an exciting new theme, “CivilizASIAN”, highlighting a remarkable fusion of Eastern and Western artistic elements. The event promises a spectacular gathering of top-tier talent, thanks to the visionary direction of Mr. Xiang Gao, a renowned large-scale arts event planner and producer, who has been appointed as the chief planner and director of the 2025 Lunar New Year Gala.

PCCC’s own Performing Arts Group, together with Yanlai Dance Academy, Xiaobo Waist Drum Dance Group, School of Oom Yung Doe, Carnegie Mellon University and Pittsburgh Chinese School will share the stage at the Gala as well.

Join us for FREE cultural activities starting at 1 pm, featuring street food samples, games, cultural demonstrations, and much more!

Tickets are available online. PNC Theater is the performing arts venue of Point Park University, located at 350 Forbes Ave. downtown (map).

"Flourishing Asian American Pacific Islander Communities and Beyond: Developing Cross-Cultural Awareness, Advocacy, and Alliance ," January 24 at Pitt.

The School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh will present "Flourishing Asian American Pacific Islander Communities and Beyond: Developing Cross-Cultural Awareness, Advocacy, and Alliance" on January 24. The hybrid program includes:

• 10:30 - 12:00 - History of Racism against Asian Americans and Mental Realities in the APIDA Community - Dr. Josephine Kim
• 1:00 - 2:30 - Work Compulsion and Anxiety Among AAPI Students and Professionals - Dr. Noel Ramirez
• 2:30 - 3:20 - Students Presentation
• 3:30 - 4:30 - Roundtable: Re-Envisioning Advocacy for Our Community - Linda Lieu, Katelan Hudson

In-person events, including lunch and dinner, are held in 2017 Cathedral of Learning. Registration is required for Zoom links to attend online.

Book Talk: Conversation with author Laura Gao, February 6 at Pitt.

via Wharton Magazine

The University Library System and Alliance of Queer and Underrepresented Asians in Recognition of Intersectionality to Uphold Solidarity (AQUARIUS) will host a conversation with Laura Gao on February 6.

This collaborative event, hosted by ULS and the Alliance of Queer and Underrepresented Asians in Recognition of Intersectionality to Uphold Solidarity (AQUARIUS), brings together a diverse community to engage in meaningful conversation and reflection.

4:30–5:00 PM:

Join our student representative for a book club session, featuring a group reading followed by a discussion. Faculty members and a librarian will facilitate the conversation, offering insights and fostering dialogue around the themes of the book.

5:00–6:00 PM:

Book Talk: A Conversation with Laura Gao

Engage in an intimate roundtable discussion with Laura Gao, moderated by faculty, students, and librarians. The conversation will explore crucial topics such as queer identity, Asian American experiences, and the intersectionality of these themes in contemporary society.

The event runs from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on the first floor of Hillman Library (map).

CMU 2025 Chinese New Year Celebration, January 31.

The Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics' Chinese Studies program at Carnegie Mellon University will host a Chinese New Year Celebration on January 31.

Come to celebrate Chinese New Years with the Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics! Free and open to the public, this event will feature many fun activities with rich Chinese cultural aspects including performances, snacks, games and raffles.

This celebration is co-hosted by LCAL's Chinese Studies program and CMU's Chinese Students Association.

It runs from 7:30 to 9:30 pm in the Rangos Ballroom on the second floor of the Cohon University Center (map).

"A Musical Conversation with Sean Gao and Friends on Tradition and Innovation in Chinese Music," January 23 at Pitt.

via @pghccc

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host "A Musical Conversation with Sean Gao and Friends on Tradition and Innovation in Chinese Music" on January 23. Gao is producing the Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center's Lunar New Year Gala on January 25.

“The world needs music and art to help solve some global issues more than ever. If leaders and people are looking for happiness, sustainability, justice and hope, they shall look to music and art.” - Sean Gao

For 30 years, Sean Gao has been a global engagement professional and an environmental artist who is an advocate for the sustainability of performing art, quality education and environmental justice and policy.

Humans have always been a musical species from the beginning of time, and Sean believes music is from the people and for the people. This student-centered and audience-centered musical conversation will feature instrumental and vocal music from the East and West to inspire teachers and students about teaching and learning Asian content. The guest artists include members of his world traveling 6-WIRE trio and others.

Promoting Asian American music and art has been a shared artistic goal since Sean’s first day of college (U of Delaware) teaching career at 9am ET on September 11, 2001.

The event starts at 5:30 pm in 125 Frick Fine Arts Building (map).

Call for artists and makers for Novo Food Hall's Lunar New Year celebration, February 1.

Novo Asian Food Hall in the Strip District is looking for artists and makers for its Lunar New Year celebration on February 1.

Are you a local artist or maker with a small business that you’d like to promote in 2025? If so, join us on Saturday, February 1 for a special Lunar New Year edition of the markets at Novo. We’re hosting a special celebration all day long to ring in the new year and we want YOU to be a part of it! 🧧🎊🏮🎇

To participate, just send an email to kaitlinnovo at gmail.com with a little info about yourself and your business or concept, and we'll get back to you!

Novo Asian Food Hall is a food court featuring eight different Asian eateries in The Terminal Building in the Strip District (map). It opened in March 2024.

2025 Squirrel Hill Lunar New Year Parade, February 16.

Pittsburgh's Lunar New Year Parade will return in 2025. From the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition:

Please come out to join us to celebrate the 2025 Lunar New Year with a parade starting at Phillips and Murray (Streets closed Phillips to Forbes on Murray Ave from 9 - 12 pm)

Update: the start time has been moved to 12:00 pm.

The relatively new annual tradition returns after taking 2024 off. The parade starts at 10:00 am, moving up Murray Ave. from Phillips Ave. to Forbes Ave. (map).

R.F. Kuang in Pittsburgh as part of Ten Evenings series, April 28.

Author R.F. Kuang will speak in Pittsburgh as part of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures' Ten Evenings series on April 28.

White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American–in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang.

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

When June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song–complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, and Yellowface. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards. A Marshall Scholar, she has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale, where she studies diaspora, contemporary Sinophone literature, and Asian American literature.

Copies of the book are available to purchase at White Whale Bookstore, and tickets for the event are now available online. The event takes place at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland (map) and will also be livestreamed.