KHOU & CultureMap

Your complete guide to Chinese New Year in Houston: The parties, the food, the festivals and the fun

If you’re looking to ring in the Chinese New Year with great food, diverse cultures and live performances, then Houston is the place to be this weekend.

This week’s KHOU CultureMap Moment highlights just a few of the celebrations going on for the Asian Lunar New Year, including a party at a trendy restaurant, and a cultural festival at Discovery Green.

Chef John Sikhattana from Straits restaurant in CityCentre is throwing a giant party with special menu items all weekend. Sikhattana says that Chinese New Year is an exciting time that brings delightful memories of his own childhood. The party will have a lion dance troop coupled with a menu of several traditional-inspired foods that have symbolic meanings in the Asian culture.

“Long beans represent long life, and scallops represent new horizon . . . and duck actually in Chinese culture represents fertility, which means if you eat all of these things you’ll have a very successful year,” Sikhattana says.

For those looking for more outdoor fun, head over to Discovery Green for the Texas Lunar Festival. The event, chaired by Mayor Annise Parker, will have live performances, art and tasty food.

“You’ll see people from all walks, from all communities participating . . . over 100 local organizations will be out at Discovery Green this Saturday,” CultureMap contributor Marcy de Luna says in this week's KHOU CultureMap Minute.

The Texas Lunar Festival will take place at Discovery Green on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Tickets are $8 with kids admitted free.

Watch the full KHOU CultureMap Minute:

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This Week's Hot Headlines

Wealthy Houston suburbs with big holiday budgets lead our top 5 stories

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Residents in The Woodlands looove to do up the holidays.

Editor's note:It's time to recap the top stories on CultureMap from this past week. Our top news includes two spendy Houston suburbs that boast big holiday budgets, plus national acclaim for Houston's Afro-Mexican eatery. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find our picks here.

1. Affluent Houston suburbs top list of biggest holiday spenders in U.S. Two wealthy Houston suburbs are among the biggest spenders on holiday gifts in the U.S., with budgets well over $3,000.

2. River Oaks restaurant opens in Memorial with expanded menu and bold design. The wait is over for Memorial residents who were looking forward to visiting Relish Restaurant & Bar. Its new location opened December 2.

3. Esquire names Houston's Afro-Mexican eatery to best new restaurants list. Once again Houston is on Esquire's radar, with Chris Williams' Late August being named to the magazine's list of best new restaurants in America.

Late August exterior Late August is one of Esquire's best new restaurants. Photo by Leonid Furmansky

4. Expert panel drafts Houston's best bars and cocktails. On this episode of "What's Eric Eating," CultureMap editor Eric Sandler and six friends take on the Ultimate Houston Bar Draft.

5. Chopped champion's Indian-spiced fried chicken joint opens in Midtown. Pok Pok Po is now open, serving gluten-free fried chicken from chef Jassi Bindra.

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