Question of the Day - 19 February 2015

We don’t generally re-run a Question of the Day so close to the original answer(s) having been posted (in this case 1/21 and 2/16/15), but this isn’t the only request we received for a recap, while the event listings for Chinese New Year 2015 are the most epic we’ve ever seen, and hence too large to recap in a "Today’s News" post (and too scattered, venue- and date-wise), to list meaningfully in our Event section.

So, for everyone who didn’t catch all this the first time around, or anyone who’s in need of a refresher, here, once more, is our complete guide to how Las Vegas is "doing" Lunar New Year 2015 and ushering in the Year of the Sheep/Goat, now with added "lucky food" dining tips, too!:

DISPLAYS & EVENTS:

• The Annual Chinese New Year in the Desert/Las Vegas Spring Festival takes place at The LINQ Promenade on Feb. 20-21, featuring dozens of art & craft exhibitors, food vendors, non-profit organizations, and cultural groups.

• McDonald's will once again host the Las Vegas Spring Festival Parade downtown on Saturday, Feb. 21, around 4th Street and Gass Avenue (expect road closures and diversions). The parade is a celebration of community featuring extravagant and colorful floats.

• The Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts presents SHEN YUN 2015 from March 2-4. If all goes according to plan, as a gong strikes, sounds from 5,000-year old-Chinese instruments will rise to blend with a 40-piece Western orchestra, while sixty dancers take the stage in front of a 30-foot-tall video backdrop that takes the audience on an adventure back to long-ago dynasties (or at least that's what the official blurb says). Tickets are on sale now, starting at $50.

• Chinatown Plaza on Spring Mountain Rd. always hosts the biggest celebration, which this year takes place Feb. 22 and features multiple pan-Asian food vendors, dragon and lion dances, martial arts and acrobatic displays, fortune tellers, arts & crafts, and more. General admission is $3 adults/$1 children, and includes a gift to take home.

• The Cosmopolitan has many events taking place (see below), including hosting Lucky Cat in the resort's pop-up space (just off the Strip). The art exhibit features a nine-foot-tall rendition of the familiar good-fortune talisman designed to reward the curiosity of those who dare to stop and explore by dispensing a fortune card to all who place their hand on its paw. For a select few, this fortune will function as a golden ticket to a range of experiences at The Cosmopolitan. Visitors (must be 21+) can interact with Lucky Cat from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

• On Feb. 21, Venetian features best-selling Hong Kong Pop R&B sensation TANG Tsz-Kei, known as G.E.M. ("Get Everybody Moving"), performing G.E.M. X.X.X. LIVE, but this appears to be a by-invitation-only event, so you can't purchase tickets.

• SLS Las Vegas is running the Fortune Cookie Mystery CODEplay promotion to celebrate Chinese New Year, with mail recipients, as well as guests who have made a $10 ADW or higher in the last 90 days, able to select one fortune cookie each for a chance to win up to $1,000 in CODEplay. Fortune cookies must be selected between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the podium near 800 Degrees Pizza.

• M Resort will usher in the Lunar New Year with festive décor throughout the resort, including customary welcome banners, orange trees adorned with lucky red envelopes, and Chinese lanterns on display. Studio B Buffet will serve a variety of Asian favorites beginning Thursday, Feb. 19 through Wednesday, Feb. 25.

• The Gold Coast has long been a favorite with Asian players and has its usual array of promos this year (scroll down for a full schedule of Chinese Dragon Dances taking place at casinos and elsewhere). On February 20 and 27, Lucky Money drawings will be held every hour from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. Eight winners each hour will take home $200. On Saturday, February 28, the What’s in Your Fortune Cookie? promotion will give away between $5 and $500 when guests earn 300 points between 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.

  Additional special events at the Gold Coast and Orleans sister property include a Calligraphy and Painting exposition on Feb. 26 at the former in the Gold Coast Showroom (free to attend) and on Saturday, Feb. 28, a performance by HeNan’s dance troupe in the same venue (8 p.m., $20). On Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. the Orleans Showroom hosts the Chinese New Year Festive Gala with performances by the Guangxi Song and Dance Theater. Tickets start at $15.

• As is customary, Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is celebrating the Year of the Goat with a vibrant display that features a centerpiece mountain with a family of five animated goats atop, plus lanterns, pagodas, bonsai trees, gold and I-Ching coins, and a pond filled with live koi. There are live music performances by the Las Vegas-based Beijing Trio from 4:30 p.m.–6 p.m. nightly and the exhibit is on display through March 15.

• The Atrium display at Palazzo features three hand-sculpted life-size rams, plus eight sheep adorned with fleeces comprised of fresh carnations. Six-foot-tall hand-loomed lanterns are suspended from the ceiling, with additional auspicious touches, including I Ching coins (also to be found around the Lalique statues in the lobby). The Year of the Goat installation will be on display through March. 1. In addition, The Knuttel Gallery in the Grand Canal Shoppes is honoring the tradition of mentioning "San-Tang-Tai," ("Three Goats [or Sheep] Start Fortune") by offering a limited-edition giclée print of Graham Knuttel’s famous painting "Keeping Watch" with any purchase of $500 or more.

• The Forum Shops at Caesars is currently home to a 22-foot-long, 6-foot-wide, and 12-foot-high dragon. Located on the Fortuna Terrace (near the interior entrance from Caesars' casino), the massive 950-lb steel-framed dragon is covered in 30,000 red and amber flickering LED lights and will be on display throughout the Chinese New Year celebratory season.

• Wynn's atrium is adorned with Chinese-inspired floral and sculpture displays, including more than 8,000 red and yellow chrysanthemums, silk dragons, and 8-foot-tall golden dragon sculptures. Gilded snake statues are also on display in the Atrium and near the Baccarat Room in Encore, where other symbols of good fortune can also be found.

TRADITIONAL DRAGON & LION DANCE SCHEDULE:

• Feb 19, 6 p.m. M Resort - Beginning and ending in the hotel lobby
• Feb 21, 6 p.m. Wynn - Starting at South Valet
• Feb 19, 3 p.m. Venetian - Commencing at the porte-cochere and proceeding through the casino to Palazzo
• Feb, 20, 5 p.m. Harrah's - hotel lobby
• Feb 20, 6:30 p.m. The LINQ Hotel & Casino - hotel lobby
• Feb 20, 7 p.m. The LINA Promendade
• Feb 20, 7:30 p.m. Flamingo - S/W entrance
• Feb 20, 8:30 p.m. The Cromwell - TBA
• Feb 21, 12 p.m. Planet Hollywood - casino floor
• Feb 21, 2 p.m. Paris - hotel lobby
• Feb 21, 2 p.m. Bally's - North entrance
• Feb 21, 5 p.m. Caesars - Main entrance
• Feb 22, 2 p.m. Cosmopolitan - East side entrance, off Las Vegas Blvd.
• Feb 21, 6 p.m. Aria - Main porte-cochere/valet and through casino
• Feb 20, 1 p.m. MGM Grand - Main lobby and through casino
• Feb 19, 5 p.m. Bellagio - Main porte-cochere and through casino
• Feb 22, 10 a.m. Chinatown Plaza
• Feb 22, 6 p.m. Palms - main entrance
• Feb 25, 7 p.m. Rio - hotel lobby
• Feb 26, 6 p.m. Gold Coast - casino floor
• Feb 28, 12 p.m. TI - TBA (we assume front entrance or casino floor...)
• Feb 28, 5 p.m. Hard Rock - Beginning and ending in hotel lobby

COMMEMORATIVE CASINO CHIPS:

• Cosmopolitan has $8 Chinese New Year chips commencing Feb. 19, but they're NCV, i.e., not available from the cage (they will be given out to preferred players but won't be offered to the general public).
• Gold Coast, which has a large Asian clientele and traditionally goes all-out for Chinese New Year, will have $25 "Year of the Ram" chips available at the cage from Feb. 26.
• Palace Station will have $5 "Year of the Lamb" chips, but they're still not sure when...
• Venetian/Palazzo have $25 "Year of the Sheep" chips available from the cage, while these sister properties also have what Gaming Control records specify as "NCV waiver numeral 8 Chinese New Year of the Sheep" chips, but these will be distributed to preferred players only.
• Wynn/Encore will have $1 "Year of the Ram" chips available at both cages as of 12:01 a.m. Feb. 22.

LUCKY FOODS:

An addition to this answer, here are some tips on auspicious dining to get your year off to healthy and, hopefully, lucky start:

• Noodles: These are a good choice and the longer the noodle, the better, as this symbolizes a long life.
• Tangerines, clementines, and oranges are also considered lucky, especially if they still have leaves attached -- another symbol of life and longevity.
• Jai is a vegetarian dish loaded with symbolism. It's a Buddhist tradition to cleanse the body with vegetables, while other good-luck ingredients include: noodles for long life; sea moss for prosperity; lotus seeds for children/birth of sons; lily buds for a harmonious union; and Chinese black mushrooms to make wishes come true.
• Order a whole fish, including head and tail, since the Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for abundance and leaving the the head and tail intact helps to ensure a good start and finish and the avoidance of bad luck throughout the year. Chicken and duck, often served on the first night, must also be cooked and offered whole (day two of the celebration is vegetarian, we understand).
• Yuanbao or Jiaozi are pork-and-vegetable dumplings that are shaped in rounds, reminiscent of ancient silver currency, so eat them for prosperity.