7 reasons why you won’t want to miss the CLTure Day + Night Market’s New Moon Festival this Saturday!
Feb 19, 2026 / Blog
Food, music, dance and hands-on family fun are all on their way to Blume Studios this Saturday, Feb. 21. It’s CLTure Day + Night Market’s New Moon Festival. The event runs from noon to 9pm.
And great news - admission is FREE!
Last time Blumenthal Arts and CLTure Day + Night Market teamed up, it drew thousands of people to the Iron District. Here’s your chance to join the fun and be part of this large-scale celebration in honor of the lunar new year.
Across many Asian cultures, this week marks the start of the Year of the Horse. (And no ordinary horse, either! More on that in a sec.) In honor of the 7th animal of the Chinese Zodiac, here are 7 reasons to giddy up on over to the New Moon Festival this Saturday.
1. It’s the Year of the Fire Horse — a once-every-60 years phenomenon!
You’ve probably heard of the 12-year cycle of animal symbols in the Chinese Zodiac. But you may not know about the rotating cycle of five elements — water, wood, fire, earth and metal — that also interact with each year. The last time this particular combo happened was back in 1966 and the next time won’t be until 2086!
This new year is special, says event organizer Cameron Lee, because of the Fire Horse’s unique energy.
“It's all about creativity, innovation, taking bold steps for people who want to, you know, endeavor into… new creative things in their lives,” says Lee, who is also the founder of CLTure, a Charlotte-based online music, arts, sports and entertainment publication.
2. Tons of incredible food options to try.
The wide variety of cuisine is always a major draw at CLTure Day + Night Market events. With a total of 25 food vendors, including 15 food trucks on site, you’ll be able to find everything from bulgogi tacos and boba tea to hibachi grilled meats, Indian street food, noodles, dumplings, pastries and more.
Some restaurants, like Banh Mi Brothers, will come with special holiday-inspired dishes, too. In addition to his regular assortment of popular banh mi sandwiches, owner Hau Doan is preparing the Vietnamese specialty Thit Kho, a sweet braised pork belly, pork shoulder and egg combination, for the New Moon Festival.
“That's a dish that we traditionally eat every New Year,” Doan says. “So there's always a bowl of Thit Kho on the table.”
It’s usually served over rice. Doan’s family does something special for the holiday: they take the meat and roll it in a fresh spring roll, add some of the braising liquid, mixed with fish sauce along with pickled bean sprouts. For the New Moon Festival, Doan came up with his own twist on the specialty: a Banh Mi version. It will be available along with traditional Thit Kho served over a rice plate.
When he was growing up, Doan says he and his brother would always fight over the egg, which is hardboiled and then braised in the liquid. “We didn't have much money,” so there weren’t many eggs to go around. Now, he says, “we make sure we have extra egg…” both at home and on the food truck.
To keep the peace, he guarantees that every customer will have at least a couple pieces of egg on their sandwich.
3. A full afternoon of entertainment.
From traditional cultural performances like the Lion Dance and martial arts demonstrations, to comedy sets from local Asian comedians and K-Pop dance performances, there’s a wide range of entertainment to enjoy. Other featured acts include the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra and local jazz artist Braxton Bateman, who will pay tribute to the music of both John Coltrane and the Philadelphia-based hip hop and R&B collective, the Soulquarians.
Sir Purr from the Carolina Panthers and Homer from the Charlotte Knights will also make special appearances.
4. Experience a large-scale community celebration just like in other major cities.
Doan says an event of this magnitude marking the lunar new year is a new opportunity in Charlotte. In the past, you’d only hear about events or see them on TV.
“New York has a big celebration. California has a big celebration, but it hasn't really [come] to Charlotte yet. And in the last few years we're having more lunar year celebrations. So, I'm just really excited to let everybody experience the culture that we have… like the little red
envelope, seeing everybody dress up in the traditional outfits … just seeing that everybody is getting exposed to what I've been exposed to all my life and getting to share that with the community.
“It's so much fun. I love it.”
5. Hands-on entertainment for all ages.
There’s something for everyone, from crafts like lantern-making and origami, to playful fun like mahjong and video games (including local fave “Exit 3A,” spoofing the well-known NoDa exit on I-277). Expect face painting, glitter tattoos, a pop up nail station, caricatures, a pitching machine and more.
“There's going to be so many activities…” Lee says. “Kids will have fun for hours, just hanging out.”
6. Weather-proof setting.
The event takes place inside at Blume Studios, transforming the 32,000 square foot immersive space into a vibrant market and playground.
So, you can leave your umbrella and/or sunscreen at home!
7. Discover local creatives.
From his perspective as a Korean American living in Charlotte, Lee says people here haven’t always associated Asian culture with creativity. But now that’s changing with the rising popularity of K-Pop culture, K-Drama and Asian films.
“So many young Asian creatives are kind of emerging,” he said.
The New Moon Festival is a chance to discover and celebrate the wide range of talent and art being created in Charlotte. And Lee says that definitely also attracts a special kind of crowd.
“I don't think there's any market type of event that's as diverse and young and vibrant as our audience usually are,” he says.
Wanna go?
CLTure Day + Night Market’s New Moon Festival
Blume Studios, 904 Post Street, Charlotte
Admission: FREE
New Moon Festival
CLTure Day + Night Market
New Moon Festival