No Lunar New Year for the Empire State Building

Monday, December 17, 2007

A recent press release is making it known that the tradition of lighting the Empire State Building in red and gold for the Asian Lunar New Year may not be happening:

The management of the Empire State Building denied recognition of the Lunar New Year by rejecting a request to light the building in red and gold in celebration of one of the most cherished occasions for Asian Americans, defying a custom that has been put in place since 2000.

"It is simply outrageous for the Empire State Building to deny over one million Asian Americans in the city the recognition of this most important holiday by rejecting the request to light the building," said John Wang, President of the Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC), the group that has been responsible for organizing the Lunar New Year celebration at the Empire State Building.

Lunar New Year: 0, Empire State Building: -10