© 2025 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Tulsa’s first city-sponsored Lunar New Year draws surprising numbers

Attendees at the city of Tulsa's first-ever Lunar New Year celebration are seen Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, inside the 101 Archer building in downtown.
Courtesy
/
Athan Lau
Attendees at the city of Tulsa's first-ever Lunar New Year celebration are seen Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, inside the 101 Archer building in downtown.

Attendance at the city of Tulsa’s first-ever Lunar New Year celebration far exceeded expectations — so much so that its organizers are considering a bigger space for next year.

The city’s Asian Affairs Commission held the celebration Saturday night at downtown’s 101 Archer building, which is suited to hold 1,100 people. Commissioner Athan Lau said they had “enough food for maybe 600, 700” catered to the event, and expected no more than 1,000 people to attend.

More than 1,800 people total attended — meaning not everyone could fit in the building at once — and an estimated 600 people couldn’t make it inside, according to Lau.

“No one expected this festival to hold or even expect that many people to attend and show up, which is really great for the community — something, for the future, to consider,” said Lau.

Lau credited event partners like Williams Energy and the Philbrook Museum for drawing the crowd through marketing.

Lau says the commissioners are currently balancing a second Lunar New Year celebration with other Asian holidays. Commissioner Parisa Pilehvar said people in line asked her if the commission was going to throw celebrations for Diwali and others.

While Pilehvar said the commission “probably can’t put on a big event for every community they’re called to represent,” she understands the importance of doing it when they can.

“We were able to be a beacon to the community and give a type of exposure and elevation our cultures can have when you have the ability and maybe access to put something like this on,” she said.

If Lunar New Year returns to Tulsa — which Lau is pretty sure it will — commissioners will need to meet with community partners to find a larger venue to host it.

“Maybe Guthrie Green or Cox Business Convention Center that the city of Tulsa owns,” said Lau. “So it’s in the works, in the talks, but we still need to do the review first before we make any moves.”

Even if not everyone who wanted to go to this year’s Lunar New Year could get in, Lau said the festival was a successful cultural celebration for Tulsa.

“I was completely speechless for how it turned out, and if anything, I was just really happy and appreciative that there’s so much energy and interest from the general Tulsa community,” Lau said.

Max Bryan is a news anchor and reporter for KWGS. A Tulsa native, Bryan worked at newspapers throughout Arkansas and in Norman before coming home to "the most underrated city in America." Several of Bryan's news stories have either led to or been cited in changes both in the public and private sectors.