ImagePress Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diana Tsai, Program Director dtsai@visartscenter.org or 301-315-8200 VisArts Lunar New Year Celebration 2013 Saturday, February 16, 2013 10:30 am – 3:00 pm VisArts and Rockville Town Square Free and Open to the Public Rockville, MD- VisArts is pleased to announce its third annual Lunar New Year Celebration will take place on Saturday, February 16, 2013 in Rockville Town Square and from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm. The event will include a parade through Rockville Town Square, an outdoor Asian Street Market and musical and dance performances. More than one thousand visitors are expected to participate in and attend the festivities. The VisArts celebration is the only inclusive Lunar New Year event in Montgomery County with participants, sponsors and performers from the Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, Korean and Japanese communities. The day-long celebration will begin with a parade through Rockville Town Square starting at 11:00 am. The parade route will begin on Beall Avenue, proceed to North Washington Street, move to East Middle Lane, along Maryland Avenue and conclude at VisArts on Gibbs Street. Parade participants will include Lion Dancers, musicians, dancers, student groups, finalists from the Miss Vietnam DC pageant, Miss Chinese America and other performers. There will be a viewing stand and stage on Maryland Avenue with welcoming remarks by specials guests including public officials from the City of Rockville and Montgomery County. The celebration will continue with an outdoor Asian Street Market on Gibbs Street from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm. The street market will include food vendors, arts and crafts activities, community organizations and street performances. VisArts will be open for the public to visit its three galleries, participate in free family cultural activities, and walk through our Resident Artists studios. For more information about the VisArts Lunar New Year Celebration please visit, www.visartsatrockville.org/lunar-new-year. Following the events in Rockville Town Square, the City of Rockville’s Mayor and Council and Asian Pacific American Task Force will host free cultural performances and light refreshments at the County Executive Office Building located at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville, starting at 3:00 pm. For the fifth year in a row, the City will offer diverse performances and refreshments. Performers will include, but are not limited to, the Child Beijing Opera, the Yellow Plum Folk Opera, Dongbei Harvest Dance, along with ballroom dance, Guzheng performance, Korean drumming, Korean fan dancing and Indian dance. For more information on the performances at the Executive Office Building please visit, www.rockvillemd.gov/events About VisArts: VisArts is a dynamic, nonprofit arts center dedicated to engaging the community in the arts and providing opportunities for artistic exploration, education and participation. Through educational programming, gallery exhibitions and a resident artist program, VisArts provides children, teens and adults with opportunities to express their creativity and enhance their awareness of the arts. VisArts is located three blocks from the Rockville Metro station at 155 Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD. For information, please visit www.visartscenter.org or call 301-315-8200. For information, images, or to arrange an interview, please contact: Diana Tsai by email at dtsai@visartscenter.org or 301-315-8200. ###

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