The Nu Vuong Hoa Binh Lion Dance Team was the highlight of the night’s celebration as they took over the parking lot with drums, music, and traditional dance.
4Lunar New Year Traditions
The Nu Vuong Hoa Binh Lion Dance Team was the highlight of the night’s celebration as they took over the parking lot with drums, music, and traditional dance.
5Flames
A dragon dance team shoots flames out during a performance at the event.
6Flames
A dragon dance team shoots flames out during a performance at the event.
7A New Year
A traditional dancer in costume posed during the Have A Nice Day Lunar New Year event.
8A New Year
A traditional dancer in costume posed during the Have A Nice Day Lunar New Year event.
9Red Envelopes
Photographer/Videographer Michael Ma, one of the co-founders of Have A Nice Day, gives away red envelopes at The Heights House Hotel.
10Red Envelopes
Photographer/Videographer Michael Ma, one of the co-founders of Have A Nice Day, gives away red envelopes at The Heights House Hotel.
11Fireside Celebration
Sitting cozy by the fire with their red envelopes at the Lunar New Year celebrations hosted by Have A Nice Day at The Heights House Hotel.
12Fireside Celebration
Sitting cozy by the fire with their red envelopes at the Lunar New Year celebrations hosted by Have A Nice Day at The Heights House Hotel.
13Lunar New Year Food
Burger Bodega pop-up was one of the popular food vendors at the celebration.
14Lunar New Year Food
Burger Bodega pop-up was one of the popular food vendors at the celebration.
15Lunar New Year Flavor
Dumpling House was also a favorite food vendor providing authentic dumplings at this year’s celebration.
16Lunar New Year Flavor
Dumpling House was also a favorite food vendor providing authentic dumplings at this year’s celebration.
17Lunar New Year Libations
Space Cowboy Hotel Bar located inside The Heights House Hotel provided beer, mixed drinks, and cocktails.
18Lunar New Year Libations
Space Cowboy Hotel Bar located inside The Heights House Hotel provided beer, mixed drinks, and cocktails.
19Getting together
A few of the participants at the Have A Nice Day Lunar New Year event in The Heights.
20Getting together
A few of the participants at the Have A Nice Day Lunar New Year event in The Heights.
21Lunar New Year Couples
A couple gets cozy by the fire on a cool but pleasant evening in Houston.
22It's a Wrap
Have A Nice Day co-founders (middle, L-R) Julie Julez, Isabel Protomartir, Michael Ma, and Brian Rama pose for a photo with the lion dance team to conclude the festivities.
23Spinning Grooves
DJ Lonny Sounds provides the soundtrack all evening at the event.
24Lunar New Year Couples
A couple gets cozy by the fire on a cool but pleasant evening in Houston.
25It's a Wrap
Have A Nice Day co-founders (middle, L-R) Julie Julez, Isabel Protomartir, Michael Ma, and Brian Rama pose for a photo with the lion dance team to conclude the festivities.
26Spinning Grooves
DJ Lonny Sounds provides the soundtrack all evening at the event.
This year, the Lunar New Year celebration began on February 1st, and it ushered in The Year of The Tiger. As the Asian American population continues to grow in Houston and the surrounding areas, these festivities are becoming more important.
One group of like-minded, young creatives and entrepreneurs knows this and banded together to create a space for all Houstonians to support and celebrate the Asian American & Pacific Islander communities. The February 5 celebration in The Heights also included small businesses.
The event brought out food vendors that included AtCha, Pudgy’s Fine Cookies, Dumpling Haus, and Burger Bodega. Attendees were provided complimentary sparkling water and cocktails courtesy of Topo Chico and Crown Royal.
The Have A Nice Day team also handed out 100 lucky red envelopes, a Lunar New Year tradition. Some of the envelopes were filled with cash, others with gift cards to Phat Eatery, Roostar Vietnamese Grill, Tea Top, and more.
The Nu Vuong Hoa Binh Lion Dance Team closed out the evening’s celebration that included traditional music, dance, and even a fire-breathing dragon. It was a tradition that Houston has been known to celebrate to the fullest, and will continue to, as long as groups like the Have A Nice Day collective continue to keep traditions alive for a new generation.
Marco Torres is a writer and photographer based in Houston, Texas. He has covered Houston's vibrant music, art, and taco cultures since 2009. Torres grew up in Houston's North Side, and later attended Jones Senior High in Houston's South Park district at the height of the DJ Screw era, fueling his love for Houston Rap. He is the principal photographer for the Tacos of Texas book, published in 2016 by the University of Texas Press. His photos and bylines have been published in the Houston Press, Chron.com, Texas Monthly,Billboard Magazine, Rolling Stone, and more.
