Duluth Rings in the Year of the Horse

One of my favorite things about living in Gwinnett is that Lunar New Year here isn't an import — it's a homegrown holiday. On Saturday, the Yi Hwang Academy of Language Excellence (YHALE) in Duluth threw its annual Lunar New Year festival, welcoming the Year of the Horse with an afternoon of performances, hands-on cultural activities, and food. Free, open to everyone, noon to four — no tickets, no registration, just walk in.

If you've never been to one of Duluth's Lunar New Year events, this is the on-ramp. You'll see traditional Korean drumming and dance, kids in hanbok, calligraphy and craft tables where nobody minds if it's your first try, and food that will ruin the phrase 'mall Korean food' for you permanently.

It's worth saying plainly: Duluth and the surrounding corridor are home to one of the largest Korean communities in the Southeast, and events like this are where that shows up as civic life, not just great restaurants. The crowd Saturday was every kind of Gwinnett — longtime families, new arrivals, and plenty of people like me who just keep showing up for the drumming.

The Duluth library branch ran its own Lunar New Year program the following week, and celebrations continue around the county through the month. If you missed it this year, February in Duluth should already be on your 2027 calendar.