Celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Confucius Institute at Colorado State University at the 2017 Chinese Spring Festival Gala. Enjoy traditional musical performances by artists from Southwest University in China and students from CSU’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance.

The event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 21, 4:30–6 p.m. at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia St., and is free and open to the public. Tickets will be available starting one hour before the event.

In modern China, Spring Festival is the celebration of Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year. It is the most important holiday of the year – a time for family to come together in the tradition of honoring gods and ancestors. The Spring Festival is typically celebrated from New Year’s Eve (in the lunar calendar) to the 15th day of the first month of the New Year.

This year, 2017,  is the Year of the Rooster, symbolizing fidelity and punctuality.

The guests in the gala from Southwest University, located in Chongqing, China, are also presenting a concert of traditional Chinese folk music at the University Center for the Arts on Jan. 22.