UWF International Programs host Lunar New Year celebration at Pensacola’s Gallery Night

The University of West Florida paid tribute to the Lunar New Year 2022 on Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola on Friday, Jan. 21. UWF’s Department of International Programs, Center for Asian Studies, Office of Equity and Diversity and Gallery Night partnered for The Lunar New Year Festival honoring the “Year of the Tiger.”

“After a year hiatus, the University of West Florida was thrilled to resume its partnership with Gallery Night Pensacola for this special cultural celebration,” said Rachel Hendrix, director of international affairs. “UWF is proud of its commitment to diversity, inclusion and multicultural community engagement, and offering a program like this provides the community an opportunity to experience new cultures and traditions from around the world.”

The Lunar New Year marks the first day of the year in the Chinese lunisolar calendar, the traditional calendar followed by Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian countries. The festival begins on the first day of the first new moon, which happens sometime between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20 each year, and continues for 15 days, culminating in the Lantern Festival. 

International students from UWF, along with international community members, showcased traditional Lunar New Year activities such as dragon and lion dances and martial arts demonstrations. The highlighted event was Japanese Taiko drumming performed by drummers from Japan at Disney’s Epcot. 

To learn more about UWF’s international affairs program, visit uwf.edu/international. 

To learn more about Gallery Night, visit gallerynightpensacola.org.