Villa Park Lunar New Year Celebration

I’m going to be honest and say that the Villa Park Lunar New Year Celebration was a relatively boring event. I was actually quite close to leaving early on in the festival but decided to stay around. I realize that it was a free event, but it doesn’t change the fact that it was a pretty boring event.

So, why was it boring? Save for the lion dancers, almost everything about this event resembled a talent show to me. And some of the performances seemed minimally rehearsed. I actually understand this especially if the performer(s) is some kid that is being forced to participate and on top of that, perhaps shy?

Not only did it resemble a talent show to me, stereotypical Asian mommas were everywhere. (Hint: tiger moms)

Most of the attendees seemed to know each other and it just came off very clique-y which made me feel like the event should have just been held on the Chinese school’s grounds, wherever it may be located at. (I am clueless as to how big the school grounds are but considering the fact that the space of the event was small, I want to assume that the Chinese school’s grounds would have the capacity to hold such an event?)

So, I’ve made it clear that this event was boring. What are some highlights from the festival, then?

Here are some highlights:

• The host(s) had a welcoming smile throughout. An engaging host however I wasn’t thrilled with them mentioning money so often. It was off putting to me even though I understand that red envelopes filled with money is something one should give to the lion dancers. (It’s possible that they mentioned this so that those that are unaware of this “custom” can be encouraged to do so.)
• I admit that despite knowing this, I did not give money to any of the lion dancers. It wasn’t because I was turned off by the host(s) mentioning money too often but more so because I thought I didn’t have dollar bills on me. (I came to learn later that I actually did have dollar bills on me… Oh well. Sorry, dancers. It’s the thought that counts, though, right?)
• A teacher actually mirrored dance moves for her students. I was amused. It was kind of funny yet at the same time, I found it sweet and harbor respect for this teacher despite not knowing her personally. A teacher that is willing to “perform” with her students and help hype them up is a true teacher, I think.
• The first time the Lion Dancers performed, they actually fell. In their final performance, they didn’t fall and seemed to go all out as well as they could. It just shows how human they are. Very human. Oh, and the red lion dancers were actually female.

The flyer for this event mentioned something about photo opportunities but I didn’t exactly see anything that was meant for photo opps. (The only photo opps I saw were the Lunar New Year backdrop and an opportunity to take photos with the Lion Dancers.) I suppose if they did have photo opps for Instagram and whatnot, I wouldn’t have bothered so it didn’t matter but where were these so called photo opps?

So, do I recommend the Villa Park Lunar New Year Celebration? It’s an event to attend only if you’re in the area. If they somehow manage to revamp the event, I’ll then probably be able to recommend the event. Regardless, it’s still a free event and a way for people to get together in a relatively small community.

**Click HERE to watch my video of Villa Park’s Lunar New Year Celebration!**