Lunar New Year Festival Expands to Koreatown Plaza for First Time 📰(Fox5 Vegas – Feb. 19, 2026)

라스베가스 코리아타운 플라자에서 처음으로 개최되는 Lunar New Year Festival 소식이 FOX5 Vegas 뉴스에 소개되었습니다.

기사에 따르면, 올해 축제는 차이나타운을 넘어 코리아타운 플라자로 확장되어 열리며, 100개가 넘는 역대 최대 규모의 벤더들이 참여해 다양한 아시아 전통 음식과 문화를 선보일 예정입니다. 지역 주민과 관광객이 함께 모여 ‘Year of the Horse’를 기념하는 이번 행사는, 특히 소규모 아시아계 비즈니스들을 조명하고 지역 상권에 활기를 불어넣는 데 의미를 두고 있습니다.

AAPI Chamber가 주최하는 이번 행사는 연중 가장 큰 펀드레이저 행사이기도 하며, 소상공인을 위한 다양한 프로그램을 지원하는 기반이 됩니다. 축제는 누구나 무료로 참여할 수 있으며, 셰프 Winston Matsuuchi의 참치 해체 쇼가 포함된 VIP 프로그램도 마련되어 새로운 경험을 제공합니다.

코리아타운 플라자가 지역 사회와 아시아 문화 교류의 중심지로 다시 한 번 주목받는 뜻깊은 행사가 될 것으로 기대됩니다.

----------------------------------

더 자세한 내용은 아래 링크와 기사 전문을 참조하세요.

👉 Read the Full FOX5 News Story

Preparations are underway for the Lunar New Year celebration, and this year the festival is expanding beyond Chinatown.

For the first time, organizers say the Lunar New Year Festival will also take place in Koreatown Plaza.

A record number of more than 100 vendors are expected to serve authentic Asian cuisine as Las Vegas welcomes the Year of the Horse with both locals and tourists joining the celebration.

Supporting small businesses

“So it was important for us to have this event to use as a platform for all these businesses to showcase what they do,” said Catherine Francisco, founder and president of AAPI Chamber. “And I think this is what makes... there’s so many different Lunar New Year celebrations in town.”

Lunar New Year is being celebrated by events across the Las Vegas Valley. As the Fire Horse symbolizes a fresh start and momentum, organizers say this year’s festival will spotlight small Asian businesses in a big way.

The AAPI Chamber of Commerce says they’re has been less visitors in Koreatown Plaza so they wanted to do something to help bring more people into the area. “We want to make sure that we bring liveliness,” Francisco said. “We want to showcase the plaza again to the community.”

Annual fundraiser

The AAPI Chamber says the Lunar New Year Festival is their largest fundraiser of the year.

“We love it because it’s at the beginning of the year,” Francisco said. “So it sets us up for the programs we offer the small businesses out there for the rest of the year.”

The event is free for the community, but organizers also offer VIP experiences including a tuna carving ceremony with Chef Winston Matsuuchi. The chef works at Gastropub Nise Bar & Grill, which opened five months ago.

“We’re just trying to create more new experiences for people” said Matsuuchi.

Chamber mission

The AAPI Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services to support small businesses in various ways, providing resources, advising and championing small businesses.

“But we do three pillars that we do at the Chamber,” Francisco said. “And that is, we are all about representation. We’re all about advocacy. And we’re all about community. And being a resource for all the small business out there.”

The event is free for everyone, but tickets are available for the VIP option.