NEW YORK-- January 25, 2023 -- The Empire State Building today kicked off celebrations for Lunar New Year with a tower lighting ceremony and music performance; festive pop-up with NYC food vendor Sheng Mary Bakery; a corner display on the building’s iconic 86th Floor Observatory; and reveal of the Fifth Avenue Lobby window installation to honor the Chinese zodiac’s Year of the Rabbit.
"We are pleased to continue our annual Lunar New Year celebration and spread good fortune to the Chinese community here in the United States, in China, and around the world,” said Jean-Yves Ghazi, president of the Empire State Building Observatory. “Lunar New Year is the perfect time for Chinese visitors to take in New York City’s best views and discover our reimagined Observatory Experience and its immersive exhibits as they celebrate this joyous holiday.”
For the first time since 2020, the Empire State Building held an in-person lighting ceremony to celebrate Chinese New Year and the Spring Festival alongside the Chinese Consul General of New York. The ceremony concluded with a traditional performance in the Observatory lobby.
ESB’s iconic Fifth Avenue Lobby windows were unveiled to feature dynamic imagery that celebrate the Chinese zodiac’s Year of the Rabbit, with the animal’s silhouette among colorful landscapes of Chinese lanterns, flowers, and trees, on display until Feb. 15. A dimensional corner photo display now graces the northwest corner of the 86th Floor Observatory deck, with lanterns, blossoms and floral urns in a gold arch. Flushing’s Sheng Mary Bakery will reside on the building’s 86th Floor to offer traditional Chinese treats to guests from Jan. 20-29 from open to 3 pm.
Tonight, New Yorkers can look skyward to see the Empire State Building’s world-famous tower lights lit up in red to honor Lunar New Year.
