East Tennessee Chinese New Year Festival

This large, family-friendly variety show is held annually in late January - early February during the Chinese New Year and brings together many local Chinese organizations for an afternoon of singing, dance, martial arts, and other performances to celebrate the coming of Spring! In past years, we have had professional musicians, dancers, and singers dazzle our audience, complemented by a wide variety of talented local performers.

Our latest Festival was held on Sunday, February 2, 2025 at 3:30pm in Cox Auditorium on the University of Tennessee Knoxville Campus. Our Special Guest this year was the World’s Premier Umbrella Juggling Artist Lina Liu from New York City (shown above). A Guiness World Record Holder, Lina dazzled us with her incredible talents ... we hope you were able to catch the show! Our event also included a traditional Chinese Lion Dance, as well as Chinese dancing, singing, martial arts, and more.

Please visit us on Facebook to see some fantastic pictures of previous shows!

Date, Time, and Location of our 2025 Festival

Date: Sunday, February 2, 2025
Time: 3:30 - 6:00 pm
Location: Cox Auditorium, Alumni Memorial Building
University of Tennessee Knoxville
1408 Middle Dr., Knoxville, TN 37996

We hope you were able to join us for our latest community event to welcome the coming of Spring and the start of the Year of the Snake!

Parking

Please click here for a general link to parking in the area.

Tickets

Check back here for tickets to future events!

Program

Our Special Guest this year was the World’s Premier Umbrella Juggling Artist Lina Liu from New York City. Winner of the prestigious International Circus Gold Prize and a Guinness World Record holder, Lina often performs at NBA halftime shows, corporate events, and Festivals in the US and abroad.

Our 2025 Year of the Snake Festival also featured a traditional Lion dance from Wah Lum Kung Fu, along with a variety of Chinese dance, singing, and martial arts performances. Our lovely hostesses this year were Dr. Athena Chen (ORNL) and Miss Elena Wu. We hope you were able to enjoy the show, and welcome you for future events that we produce in the region!

Many images from past performances can be found on our Facebook page -- please like and follow us there!

Please click here for highlights of our past shows.

For memories of our 2024 show, please click here.

For memories of our 2023 show, please click here.

For memories of our 2020 show, please click here.

For memories of our 2019 show, please click here.

For memories of our 2018 show, please click here.

For memories of our 2017 show, please click here.

For memories of our 2016 show, please click here.

For memories of our 2015 show, please click here.

For memories of our 2014 show, please click here.

For memories of the 2013 show, please click here.

For memories of the 2012 show, please click here.

For memories of the 2011 show, please click here.

Organizers

The 2025 East Tennessee Chinese New Year Festival was Produced by Michael Smith of the East Tennessee Wushu Team / East Tennessee Tai Chi Team. Dan Wang (UTK), Xiaohui Li (UTK), and others also assisted in organizing this event, and our lovely hostesses were Athena Chen and Elena Wu.

Volunteers

This show cannot run without many volunteers working before, during, and after the show. Our volunteer opportunities are ideal for high school students wishing to earn Community Service Hours for the National Honor Society, and for college students wishing to earn extra credit for certain courses. A wide variety of volunteer services are needed, including stage assistants, performer assistants, prop handlers, A/V helpers, ushers, truck loading/unloading, and cleaning up. Check back here for future events where we have a sign up sheet for volunteers!