Kent Place Community Comes Out for a Lunar New Year Celebration

The Great Room at Kent Place School buzzed with excitement on the evening of February 4 as the Kent Place community gathered to celebrate Lunar New Year Night. Hosted by the Diversity and Equity Parent Group (DEPG), the annual event featured cultural performances, traditional food, and festive activities.

From the moment guests arrived, they were welcomed by the sounds of Chinese music. A long table displayed an array of delicious dishes — dumplings, spring rolls, fried rice, sesame balls, and even tanghulu, the beloved candied fruit skewers. Boba tea proved to be a favorite among students.

Attendees participated in a variety of activities, among them calligraphy, lantern making, and even dumpling making, immersing themselves in Lunar New Year traditions. The games and raffles added to the excitement, with students collecting stamps at different stations to earn rewards.

As the clock struck 6:15, the event’s MC’s — Angela Hong ’25, Audrey Hong ’27, Jessica Choy ’26, and Olivia Zhang ’26 — introduced the evening’s performances, kicked off with the mesmerizing Dragon Dance, which wound its way through the crowd. 

Serena Cui ’31 enchanted the audience with a rendition of the song “Smile,” followed by the Hummingbirds and Lilian Wang ’31, who performed “Gung Hay Fat Choy,” featuring the sounds of the erhu. The Primary School Dance Team dazzled with its “Silk Road Dance,” and young performers from Kindergarten and first grade sang “Song of the Dragon.”

The Zen Wushu Academy, featuring Mila Siu ’32, showcased a powerful kung fu and Chinese yo-yo demonstration. The magic continued with Peng Li’s Sichuan Opera Face-Changing act, and the evening closed with the Primary School dance team, Holla Studio, Alina Rosefort ’32, Liz Yang ’32, and Primary School parents in a K-pop dance.