Lunar New Year celebrations extend to other theme parks this weekend in Southern California, as Universal Studios Hollywood and SeaWorld San Diego kick off their holiday events.
New this year at Universal is the "Year of the Pig" doughnut from CityWalk's Voodoo Doughnut. No it's not exactly authentic Asian cuisine. (As far as I can tell, doughnuts in their modern form appear to be an American invention, via Dutch immigrants to early New York. And, yes, I had to look that up.) But the strawberry-frosted plain cake doughnut with bubble gum nose and ears fits the year's theme visually, so take your Insta-pic and chow down.
The doughnut will be available all month. Inside the park, Universal Studios Hollywood's Lunar New Year festivities will run from February 2 through the 17th. Head to Universal Plaza for most of the events, including the return of Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop, the Dragon Warrior Training Show on the Kung Fu Panda Jade Palace Performance Stage, and the animation classes where you can learn to draw Po and the Furious Five from Dreamworks Animation's Kung Fu Panda. Mandarin-speaking Megatron also will be back to greet guests, and you'll find the Minions in their Lunar New Year costumes posing for photos, as well.
Down in San Diego, SeaWorld is welcoming the season with its own special food and entertainment. Ramen, stir fry, and bao are on the menu this year, while the Chinese Acrobats of Hebei take over the Mission Bay Theater for 25-minute shows featuring gymnastics, contortion, and juggling. You will find more entertainment in the park's Lunar New Festival Area next to the Skytower, including a new "Pig Garden," where guests can meet some of the potbellied pigs taken in by local rescue organizations.
SeaWorld San Diego's Lunar New Year festival runs February 2-3, 9-10, and 15-18. Follow the link for our previous coverage of Lunar New Year at Disneyland, which kicked off last week.
TweetThis article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
