After months of planning with University Town Center (UTC) and volunteers of the Sister Cities Association of Sarasota (SCAS), our third annual Lunar New Year event was completed with huge success on February 17, the first day of the Year of the Horse.

The two-hour free event was opened by Dr. Miles Toder, President of SCAS, and included a wide variety of cultural performances from four dance groups (StarLite, Zen Rhythm, Tampa Sunshine and Anna Dance Academy) and Mt. Song Martial Arts Academy in the Tampa Bay region as well as professional artists (Peking opera performer Jie Yu and musician Changkui Tang) from Orlando. More than 400 people gathered at The Green venue at UTC, decorated with numerous colorful lanterns and a photo wall of cultural symbols, to enjoy the lion dance, classical and modern dances, Peking opera, traditional music, impressive Kungfu, and student performance from ODA to show their excellent Mandarin language skill. All 15 performances are listed in the program below, along with event photos.

Participants received Lunar New Year greeting cards and learned about the SCAS peace-making missions and programs. During intermission, they joined cultural activities and interacted with three colorful lions from Mt. Song Martial Arts Academy. Many of them followed the Chinese tradition of feeding the lions with red envelopes filled with money for good luck.

Many participants were families with children. Some parents were excited about the opportunity of exposing their children to the rich cultural diversity and experiencing the Lunar New Year celebration. Their appreciation and thrilled images were captured by the local media Observer (report at https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2026/feb/20/sister-cities-lunar-new-year) and the UTC video clip (at https://www.facebook.com/reel/1243687817139457).

Before the event, ABC 7 Sarasota interviewed us and aired with a preview of dances of the Zen Rhythm Dance Group (available at https://www.mysuncoast.com/video/2026/02/09/sarasota-sister-cities-association-hosts-lunar-new-year-celebration-suncoast-view-february-9th-2026).

Finally, we appreciate the support from the event partner UTC and the co-sponsors: Teresa H. Haddock, Jason Liu (Shanghi Enterprises, LLC), Margie Kam, Sarasota Chinese Academy, Larry Lee Bennison and USCPFA Sarasota.

(Photo credit Garcia Public Relations)