Happy Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month! This month is all about celebrating rich cultural heritages and coming together as a community. What better way to kick off our blog and the month of May by reflecting on an amazing community event we were able to host earlier this year: Our Lunar New Year Bash.

We’d been musing for months about an in-person event — we’d always admired and highlighted the in-person events happening in the community and were inspired to hold our own space and invite others to come when the timing felt right. What better way to celebrate than ride along the coattails of Lunar New Year in mid-February? Plus, after 3 years of creating a digital community on Instagram, it was time to bring it alive.

Nestled right next to I-93 and the Chinatown neighborhood, we knew Pao Arts Center, with its amazing curation of community artists and large event space, was where we could make our event home. The center is one of the only, if not THE only, publicly available event spaces in Boston Chinatown. We spent months carefully planning and going back and forth with Pao Arts Center to make sure we could bring all our ideas to life.

On the opening morning of Saturday, February 24, 2024, we could already feel the heightened energy and excitement from visitors lined up outside the door. What waited for them on the other side? Creative vendors who were ready to sell their wares, a red envelope making station and a photographer who was ready to take their photos at our photobooth.

Right when you entered the doors of Pao Arts Center, you could already feel the space abuzz as artists were eagerly anticipating meeting 200+ of our online community members. They offered everything from crochet and original artwork to jewelry, comics/zines, and pet goods; it really felt like there was something for everyone. DJ VICZ spun the feel good beats that really allowed our guests to vibe while checking out all the vendors and chowing down on some good eats sponsored by Nan Xiang Express and Hong Kong Eatery. Dumplings and noodles, anyone?

It wouldn’t be a Chinatown Project event without some visual media work. Talented local photographer Faith Nguyen led poses and prompts for guests at the photobooth station. You laughed, you smiled and also came up with a few fun poses of your own. Just before the photobooth room, we had volunteers who invited you to decorate your own red envelope (complete with white rabbit candies and other sweet Asian treats). 

But wait, there was even…more? Some red envelopes had special prizes from our generous sponsors, all amazing and inspiring Asian- owned businesses based locally and nationwide. The lucky 16 winners  were able to take home prizes from Omsom, Fly by Jing, Bowlcut, Mei Mei Dumplings, Tora Japanese Restaurant, Lunar and MìLà. 

But let us tell you, the buzz of the event? It was all about our brand-new t-shirt drop. Imagine this: a meticulously detailed dragon, using our brand's signature blue shade along with complementary hues, proudly stamped on the back. What's even more captivating is how our logo is seamlessly layered behind the dragon, adding depth and creating a truly unique design. If you flip to the front, you'll discover an embroidered stamp design in vibrant red, adorned with Chinese characters that proudly proclaim 'The Chinatown Project'. 

It took a full month of collaboration with the incredibly talented local artist, Victoria Lai (@torimonsee) to bring our idea to life...and it went above and beyond our original idea conception. Thank you Awol Print Shop (@awolprintshop) for their meticulous attention to detail and craftsmanship. Oh, and speaking of local talents, Caroline Shen (@s.caroro) lent her skills to create some amazing print materials for us. That beautiful pattern on the back of our business card? Just one of Caroline's many masterpieces.

Much like the dragon, this year’s zodiac animal, reflects on power, good fortune and strength, we were emotional come time for the event to end. We could never have dreamed so many of you would want to come out and participate in our bash, and many of you stayed until the very end. We learned how amazing it is to see us all show up in-person. It really did feel like we came together as a community, and we can’t wait to host another event for you all to come again! In the meantime, we highly encourage you to check-out many of the events happening in the community celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month 2024.

Special thanks to all the organizations, businesses and individuals who came together for the bash.