Philadelphia Suns Prepare for Lunar New Year Lion Dances

Nonprofit youth group readies colorful performances to celebrate Year of the Horse

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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The Philadelphia Suns, a volunteer-led youth program, is gearing up to perform traditional lion dances throughout the Philadelphia region to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The nonprofit has been preparing its lion costumes and choreography for several upcoming performances, including the Lunar New Year night parade in Chinatown and the Lunar New Year Parade.

Why it matters

The lion dance is a symbolic Chinese tradition performed to chase away evil spirits and bring good luck at the start of the new year. The Philadelphia Suns' lion dance troupe helps preserve this cultural heritage and share it with the broader Philadelphia community, fostering understanding and celebration of the city's Asian American roots.

The details

Members and volunteers of the Philadelphia Suns spent time cleaning up and repairing the colorful lion heads that will be used in the upcoming performances. The organization, founded in 1972 as a basketball club, has grown into a nationally recognized nonprofit providing athletic, cultural, and educational programs for Philadelphia's youth. Suns leaders like Chadford Jung and Quoc Pham are passionate about passing on this cultural tradition to the next generation and showcasing it to the rest of the city.

  • The Lunar New Year night parade in Philadelphia's Chinatown section will feature a lion dance performance at 10 p.m. on Monday.
  • On Feb. 22, the Chinatown neighborhood will host the Lunar New Year Parade at 11 a.m.

The players

Philadelphia Suns

A volunteer-led youth program that provides athletic, cultural, and educational programs in Philadelphia, including a lion dance troupe.

Chadford Jung

A long-time member of the Philadelphia Suns who is now on the other side, setting up the next generation of lion dance performers.

Quoc Pham

A leader who stepped into a role with the Suns a few years ago to preserve the cultural pillar of Philadelphia's Asian American community and help showcase it to the rest of the city.

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What they’re saying

“I enjoy sharing and teaching new things to people who might not experience this. It's just something that we can all share and talk about as a community. As a cultural thing, it's important for the youth to understand where we all come from and just spread that and keep it going as far as we can.”

— Chadford Jung, Philadelphia Suns member (whyy.org)

“When I was growing up, I did not really know that there was even such things like this. It's just awesome to see that there is a program like this that can give back and learn about the heritage.”

— Quoc Pham, Philadelphia Suns leader (whyy.org)

“In the future, looking back on this, it's going to be a big part of my youthful years. It's just very fun seeing all the smiles that I can make happen through the lion head.”

— Collin Ath, High school student and lion dancer (whyy.org)

The takeaway

The Philadelphia Suns' lion dance troupe is helping to preserve an important cultural tradition and share it with the broader Philadelphia community, fostering understanding and celebration of the city's Asian American heritage.