Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival is the most important Chinese traditional holiday. Also known as the “Lunar New Year”, the festival starts on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar and ends on the fifteenth day with the Lantern Festival.
This year, Edgewater Casino Celebration Village hosted the Grand Opening for the Chinese New Year set at the heart of the Plaza of Nations. It was an unprecedented Chinese New Year celebration set within the the Olympic time frame as well as Valentine’s Day, making it a much more unique celebration for the people of Vancouver.
The festival opened with a bag piper and band as well as a traditional Chinese Drum presentation. A Chinese God of Fortune handed out Lucky Red Envelopes filled with Casino Cash Coupons to the audience as well as visitors in the nearby areas. Three major prizes were also given to lucky envelope holders given by the Chinese God of Fortune.
A traditional Lion Dance, which featured five different colored lions representing the five rings in the Olympic logo, performed on the opening day as well.
According to Edgewater Casino Vice President and GM, Paul Ahluwalia, “This unique event facilitates an upscale marketplace that showcases a variety of entertainment and artisan offerings that represent an important part of Vancouver’s culture.”
And so it was a case of East meeting West with around 120 different food and retail kiosks; it was a cultural celebration that one would not want to miss. The venue gave visitors a magnificent harbor side view of the Plaza of Nations and the Athlete’s Village.
With the widest selection of food offerings that ranged from pork buns to Sui Mai and Shrimp Dumplings, visitors did not leave the festival on an empty stomach.
Traditional Chinese Cultural Dances, a Chinese Kung Fu demonstration and a Chinese song with a Kung Fu fight in the background gave the audience a spectacular show that immersed them in a rich tapestry of traditional Chinese celebrations. Not to be left out in the event were a hip hop dance presentation, Korean drums and a Korean Martial Arts demonstration.
The Edgewater Casino also hosted the “International Pin Exchange” at the Stadium Club which was open to the public from 2:00 PM all the way to 10:00 PM every day.
This free event was sponsored by BCLC which attracted thousands of locals and tourists who were in town to experience the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
