Celebrating the Year of the Horse on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i and Hilo with Lion Dance and Kung Fu
Kung Hei Fat Choi, Hawaii! Saam Fu Chinese Cultural Arts had a whirlwind Chinese New Year season in 2026. Our busy scheduled took us across three islands filled with lion dances and kung fu demonstrations.
From the eastside to the leeward side, the Saam Fu lion dance squad was busy on O‘ahu. With even more requests this year it was our busiest season yet. For weeks it was a nearly nonstop string of performances for the numerous schools and businesses that wanted to celebrate the Year of the Horse with us. And we loved every minute of it. Our dedicated performers relish seeing the joy on everyone’s faces as we share our lion dance traditions with you.
Our team returned to Kaua‘i to ring in the Year of the Horse 2026. It is an honor to continue celebrating the Chinese New Year with our Garden Island friends! We are grateful that even more businesses and locations got to partake in a genuine lion dance blessing this year. Lion dance performances took us to Princeville, Hanalei, Hanapepe and Lihue this year. Mahalo for welcoming us once again and hopefully we can expand this tradition even more in 2027 for the Year of the Sheep.
This year also marked our 6th trip to Hilo. It is always gratifying to see the smiles on people’s faces as they greet our lion dance team. It’s a tradition that seems to grow every time we come back. Downtown Hilo was abuzz with excitement and positive energy on day 1 as our lions blessed various businesses in the area. The celebrations continued after the sun went down at the Hilo Night Market. Day 2 was a busy day with mall-wide blessings at Prince Kuhio Plaza and across the way at Waiakea Center. Our trip concluded with a lion dance and kung fu demonstration at the Hilo Farmer’s Market. Mahalo nui to all the organizers and businesses that welcome us back each year. We love bringing the Chinese New Year celebrations to you!
It is with all your support that we are able to continue sharing this time honored tradition. It’s what makes Chinese New Year a magical season for us.
Mahalo to our dedicated students, parents, friend and family for their time and hard work that make this all possible!
If you’d like to be a part of this team of dedicated performers, we’d love for you to join our ohana!
