Rail Park hosts Lunar New Year for all ages

On a cold winter day, people from all walks of life came together at the base of Rail Park to watch Tai-Chi and dragon dances while enjoying pork and taro buns. 

On Feb. 1, Friends of the Rail Park hosted a Lunar New Year Celebration at the Rail Park in Spring Garden. The Lunar New Year event has grown during the years from a couple neighbors to a large group of organizations coming together, including the Philadelphia Suns, Ballet SunMi, Crane Center Tai-Chi Team, Friends Senior Care Center Performance Team, DJ Kevin Kong and Penn Lions. 

“It’s great just learning about other cultures and just seeing everybody come together for a great event,” said Daniel Jackson, a photographer for the Rail Park. “And I love it, everything from costumes to the excitement that everybody has for even on a day like today, it’s pretty cold, it’s a really great turnout.” 

Rebecca Cordes Chan is the executive director of the Friends of the Rail Park and is a trained historic preservationist planner. Part of her work is to hold events like this to help lobby for the expansion of the Rail Park. Rail Park intends to convert three miles of historic railway into a park and path. Phase one opened in 2018 as a quarter mile long bridge, which is where the event was held. 

“I’m Chinese, I’ve done Lunar New Year festivals my entire life,” Chan said. “So for me it’s very special to be able to share this with a very broad audience, especially in these times, Asian American History and Culture is American History and Culture. And so to me, it’s really important that we’re able to celebrate these things in public space and to invite a broad audience to enjoy it with us.” 

Many of the guests come to Philadelphia from all walks of life, some who did not grow up celebrating the Lunar New Year, like local Lauren Taylor. She enjoyed the performance by the Penn Lions, ate a taro bun and bought a bouquet of flowers. She and her partner, Tom Nagelberg, heard about this event from a flyer in their neighborhood. They encouraged Philadelphia locals to explore the city’s public parks. 

“For me, Lunar New Year is something that has a celebration in mind and a sense of diversity and culture that we didn’t get when I was growing up,” Taylor said. “So it’s nice to have just one more way to connect with the city. Any chance we have is awesome.”