By Robert Haugh

Santa Clara will kick off the Bay Area’s first Lunar New Year celebration of 2026 with a media event today at City Hall.

The kickoff will preview the Silicon Valley Lunar New Year Together Festival and Night Market scheduled for Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at 900 Lafayette St. 

The two-day event is expected to draw more than 30,000 attendees and is billed as the largest multicultural Lunar New Year festival in Silicon Valley.

Presented by Silicon Valley Community Media and OMG Entertainment in partnership with the City of Santa Clara, the festival will feature live performances, a night market, and more than 300 food, art, and cultural vendors.

Organizers say the event will include participation from Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Cambodian, Portuguese, Mongolian, and other communities, highlighting the region’s cultural diversity under the theme: One Valley, Many Cultures — Together We Celebrate.

The media event will be held at 11 a.m. in the City Hall courtyard near the flagpoles, 1500 Warburton Ave. 

Speakers are expected to include event organizers, Mayor Lisa M. Gillmor, and community leaders.

Organizers note the festival will also kick off Super Bowl celebration week in the region. The first 3,000 people who register for the festival will receive a special Lunar New Year gift on a first-come, first-served basis.

The media kickoff will outline festival programming, cultural significance, and logistics ahead of what organizers expect to be one of the Bay Area’s largest Lunar New Year gatherings.