2024 Lunar New Year Family Celebration: Korean Seollal

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Kogod Courtyard

February 10, 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This year the Washington, D.C. region will celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year holiday – which falls on February 10 in 2024 and is known as Seollal in Korean – at a variety of events supported and co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC), including public performances, traditional cultural experiences, family festivals, government partnerships, and more, between February 3 and 10.

Headline events include the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM)’s Lunar New Year Family Celebration on Saturday, February 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., where visitors can stop by the KCCDC tables in the museum’s massive Kogod Courtyard to learn about the year of the dragon and Seollal traditions, make traditional arts and crafts, and enjoy K-Pop and traditional music performances throughout the day. This program is presented in parternship with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the USA and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the USA. 

The event is free, but registration is encouraged and can be done on the SAAM's website (https://americanart.si.edu/events/lunar-new-year-family-celebration-february-10-2024)

Lunar New Year 2024 Celebration: Korean Seollal

The Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

February 3, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) also hosts its Lunar New Year 2024 Celebration on Saturday, February 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., presenting a multicultural celebration at the museum that includes an introduction to Seollal, hands-on arts and crafts, Korean cultural displays, and informational materials courtesy of the KCCDC. This event is copresented by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China and Vietnam Society. 

The event is free, but registration is encouraged and can be done on the SAAM's website (https://asia.si.edu/whats-on/events/search/event:171620070/). 

Seollal, known generally as the Lunar New Year outside Korea, falls on February 10 in 2024. It is one of the most important traditional holidays in Korea and many other countries where it is celebrated. Traditionally, Seollal is an intimate family-oriented holiday with a rich history that binds generations together. It is a time to reconnect with loved ones at home, enjoy traditional foods, pay respects to ancestors and elders, wear Hanbok clothing, play folk games, and wish one another well. All of these fulfilling cultural traditions have been part of Korean life and society for centuries. The KCCDC hopes to share this sentiment through these events while bringing together the greater DC community.