The Year of the Snake is set to begin with a spectacular showcase as the Spring Festival Gala is scheduled to ring in the Chinese New Year on Feb. 9.
Hosted by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), the event will take place downtown in the Sandman Centre’s Kia Lounge beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Song and dance performances have been slated to entertain guests during the festivities.
“We have about 10 shows or more, but we are still selecting because we want only the best performances,” said CSSA president Lian Zhou. “We just want people to feel one thing — happy.”
Guests will be fed while watching the showcases by a locally prepared buffet featuring a wide range of options.
“They are going to provide us with very Chinese-styled foods. There are two Chinese-styled foods. One is Canadian-based Chinese food, the other is real Chinese food,” Zhou said.
Students and community members are welcome to join the celebration. Zhou hopes it will bring people together.
“This [event] is public for everyone. It’s hosted in English,” he said. “This is a multicultural event. We don’t want this to happen only in Chinese because that is really exclusive. We want more people to join.”
Tickets are available for purchase until Feb. 9. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the CSSA website at trucssa.ca. Entry is $45 for regular tickets and $60 for VIP tickets.
According to Zhou, VIPs will get the best spot in the house with central seating at the gala.
“[VIPs] have the biggest space, and they [get] extra gifts,” Zhou said.
The CSSA has hosted this event in previous years, but Zhou believes that this year will be the best version of it yet.
Approximately 30 people, from performers to club members, have worked on organizing this year’s gala. Last year, 150 guests attended the event.
Chinese New Year falls annually within a range of dates between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. Zhou said that growing up at his home in China, people would take weeks off work and school to celebrate the occasion with feasts of food and lots of fireworks.
In the past decade, China has placed restrictions on fireworks use, but Zhou said there is an annual television broadcast the whole country now watches.
“If you only watch the TVs, you may get happy — but those Chinese international students, they will feel lonely,” Zhou said. “But if you have this banquet. Just people sitting together, you can feel the Chinese style, the Chinese mood.”