A dragon ball

10 lively Lunar New Year events to toast the Year of the Dragon in Houston

Radiant Nature Lantern Festival Tunnel Dragon Houston Botanic Garden

Radiant Nature's Lantern Festival tunnel at Houston Botanic Garden.

Photo courtesy of Houston First Corporation

The Lunar New Year officially starts on Saturday, February 10, ushering in the Year of the Dragon. Also known as Chinese New Year, the celebration marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Southeast Asians honor the occasion around the globe, and especially here in Houston, which boasts a vibrant community.

With that in mind, we've rounded up a list of vibrant, energetic celebrations and events all over the city,

Houston Botanic Gardens
(through February 25)
1 Botanic Ln.

The Houston Botanic Gardens dazzles with Radiant Nature, a dazzling and stunning immersive exhibition that takes inspiration from the Lunar New Year and showcasing many Chinese-inspired works. Produced by Tianyu Arts & Culture, more than 50 paper lanterns light up the collection across the garden, making it a breathtaking sight at night. Make sure to visit the Chinese pagoda and the enormous, 200-foot dragon.

Downtown
(Friday, February 9 through Sunday, February 11)
Various venues

Locals could hole up in a downtown hotel all weekend and never run out of things to do for Lunar New Year. Once downtown, check out a series of Lunar New Year celebrations to celebrate in the Year of the Dragon all weekend.

Lee's Golden Dragon's popular drummers will perform at downtown's Lunar New Year Festival + Night Market.Photo by Lee's Golden Dragon/courtesy of Downtown Houston

A big event awaits on Saturday, as Downtown Houston+ presents the Lunar New Year Festival & Night Market at Market Square Park. Free to the public, the event boasts a dynamic lineup, featuring live performances by the popular Lee’s Golden Dragon, We8 Dance Troop, and Unity Lion Dance. Along with dazzling performances, visitors can explore a night market with more than 30 local street food and art vendors. Don't miss an after party scheduled at Bravery Chef Hall.

Be sure to register at the Eventbrite page here to receive a commemorative 2024 red envelope filled with treats and trinkets from the neighborhood, while supplies last.

Lunar New Year Festival + Night Market dragon dancers The Lee's Golden Dragon dragon dancers at the Lunar New Year Festival.Photo by Lee's Golden Dragon/courtesy of Downtown Houston

Lunar New Year Food Festival at Conservatory Food Hall
(2 pm Saturday, February 10; 2 pm Sunday, February 11)
606 Dennis St.

Midtown’s Conservatory Food Hall is a groundbreaking collective of food artists that helps promote small businesses and sustainable food in Houston. Over two days, the chefs under their roof will be presenting a variety of dishes meant to highlight the wide cultural traditions across Asia. The hall will be filled with delicious smells from 15 different eateries and the music of DJ Traxion.

Phat Eatery
(7 pm Friday, February 9; 11:30 am Saturday, February 10; 11:30 am Sunday, February 11)
23119 Colonial Pkwy Suite B-2, Katy

Ushering in the New Year deserves a feast, and Phat Eatery in Katy has a special one prepared. The specialty family-style menu includes Yu Sheng “Prosperity Toss” (House-cured Scottish salmon, pickled carrot and cabbage, radish, sesame seed, plum sauce, cracker, sesame oil); smoked duck wrap (Roasted, house-smoked duck, Persian cucumber, scallion, roti wrap, cumin pineapple hoisin reduction); seared sea scallops; short ribs, and black sesame ice cream from HTX Nitro Creamery. Lion dancers will also be on hand.

Asia Society of Texas
(11 am to 4 pm, Saturday, February 10)
1370 Southmore Blvd.

Lunar New Year at Asia Society of Texas.Photo courtesy of Asia Society of Texas

As a local hallmark of all things Asian culture, Asia Society of Texas has an extensive itinerary planned to celebrate the Lunar New Year. In addition to the traditional dances, food, and crafts, they’re offering something called a Dragon Quest. Community organizers will take visitors on an educational journey across China, Vietnam, South Korea, and the Philippines learning about the history of various cultures through activities.

Lunar New Year dance performances at Asia Society of Texas.Photo courtesy of Asia Society of Texas

Visitors who complete the quest will receive a prize. Puppet making and good luck banners are some of the other crafts that will be on hand to try out.

Lunar New Year at the Chinese Community Center
(10 am to 4 pm Saturday, February 10)
9800 Town Park Dr. in Westchase

The annual event at the CCC has been going on for more than 20 years. Not only does it host the dragon and tiger dances that are so iconic to the Lunar New Year, the festival features traditional Asian crafts, arts, food, and other vendors. Learn Chinese calligraphy, origami, and more. It’s basically a miniature convention. Best of all, the event is totally free, including parking.

Children’s Museum of Houston
(11 am to 6 pm Saturday, February 10)
1500 Binz St.

To keep Lunar New Year completely kid-centric, the Children’s Museum has a wide range of activities for the day. Over in Junktion, visitors can make puppets and banners as well as moving dragon’s breath. The Houston Grand Opera will present an interactive storybook, and various dance troupes will perform. Kids will have a chance to take photos with some of the elaborate and colorful dancer costumes.

Lunar New Year children's museum houston Lunar New Year performances at Children’s Museum Houstton.Photo courtesy of Children’s Museum

Otaku Food Festival at Karbach Brewing Co.
(Noon to 10 pm Saturday, February 10; noon to 4 pm Sunday Feb. 11)
2023 Karbach St.

If you’re looking to celebrate the Lunar New Year with an anime twist, this is the festival for you. This free event is hosted across two days and contains more than 100 vendors. A number of them will be selling statues, DVDs, manga, and other anime culture items. There will also be a sumo competition. Food is the focus, everything from Asian street foods to baos and boba tea. Organizers encourage visitors to bring cash.

Lunar New Year at Discovery Green
(5 pm to 7 pm Sunday, February 11)
1500 McKinney St.

Lunar New Year at Discovery Green.Photo courtesy of Discovery Green

One of Houston’s most famous dragon dance teams will take the Anheuser-Busch Stage at Discovery Green. Since 1974, Lee’s Golden Dragon has captivated audiences across the south with their elaborate costumes and incredible drum corps. Discovery Green will also have local vendors of Asian food and crafts.

Movie Review

Margot Robbie ignites provocative new take on Wuthering Heights

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights.

Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights is one of those classic books assigned in high school English classes, and it has received a number of film adaptations over the years — each of which differ in numerous ways from the source material. Purists won’t receive any reprieve from Emerald Fennell’s 2026 adaptation, with a title that is stylized as "Wuthering Heights” for good reason.

Cathy (played as an adult by Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) have known each other their entire lives, with Cathy’s alcoholic and inveterate gambler father (Martin Clunes) taking in Heathcliff on a whim when he was a boy. The two bond as they grow up together, although Cathy always seems to have an eye on moving up in society from their relatively impoverished lifestyle.

Cathy finally gets her wish when the rich Linton familyled by Edgar (Shazad Latif), moves in down the road, Despite discovering she has feelings for the now grown-up Heathcliff, Cathy sees Edgar as her way out and agrees to marry him. A scorned Heathcliff flees, returning years later as mysteriously wealthy. His reappearance ignites something in Cathy’s soul, and the two engage in a perhaps unwise affair.

Fennell (Promising Young Woman, Saltburn) infuses the dusty material with an energy that’s not typically present in stories set in this particular time and place. Aside from the occasional Charli XCX song (the singer created a whole concept album for the film), the film looks and feels like a period piece, albeit one that doesn’t get bogged down in the drudgery that can sometimes come from films set in the distant past.

Much of that has to do with the lust the filmmaker puts into the story. Even if you’re not familiar with Brontë’s book, you can rest assured that Fennell has strayed far from the text, giving Cathy and Heathcliff thoughts and actions unthinkable in the 19th century. Fennell plays with expectations by opening the film with audio featuring creaking noises and a man grunting, conjuring up a situation far different than what is actually happening, and she also makes liberal use of rain, sweat, and tears to make the actors enticing.

What she can’t do, however, is make the two lead characters compelling. Cathy is a striver who never seems to know what she wants out of life, and Heathcliff goes from a bore to a brute over the course of the film, with no clear indication that he likes anybody, much less Cathy. Anyone expecting some kind of grand romance will be disappointed as Fennell is much more interested in making the film weird, like having the walls of Cathy’s room look like her skin, complete with freckles.

Robbie and Elordi do well enough with the material, and it’s clear that both of them are committed to bringing Fennell’s vision to life. Their styles tend to balance each other out, and if the story had been committed to their characters’ relationship, they might be lauded for their chemistry. In the end, though, the supporting actors feel more interesting, including ones played by Hong Chau, Alison Miller, and Clunes.

This version of Wuthering Heights should never be construed as an alternative to reading the book for any high schoolers out there. While Fennell makes the film interesting with her technical filmmaking choices, the story never finds its footing as it fails to sell the one thing that it seems to promise.

---

Wuthering Heights opens in theaters on February 13.

movies film

A dragon ball

10 lively Lunar New Year events to toast the Year of the Dragon in Houston

Movie Review

Margot Robbie ignites provocative new take on Wuthering Heights

Veteran French chef blows into Bellaire with a new neighborhood bistro

New Mexican restaurant sizzles into Houston's 5 most popular stories

7 off-beat Valentine’s Day date ideas for couples in Houston