Universal Studios Hollywood ushers in the Year of the Rat with the Lunar New Year celebration from Thursday, Jan. 23 through Sunday, Feb. 9. This spectacular themed event will take place at Universal Plaza, located in the heart of the theme park. Under a curtain of traditional red Chinese lanterns and plum blossom Wishing Trees, the festivities will come to life as guests discover the 12 zodiac animal signs accompanied by their symbolic attributes. Lunar New Year is included with paid admission to the theme park.

The celebration will feature several character meet and greets: Po and Tigress from the Kung Fu Panda Adventure will welcome guests and pose for photos; Hello Kitty in her signature red bow and special Lunar New Year attire will meet guests at the Hello Kitty Shop inside the Animation Studio Store; Megatron from Transformers™: The Ride-3D will be speaking Mandarin while interacting with guests; and Minions from Despicable Me Minion Mayhem will entertain guests in their brightly colored traditional Lunar New Year attire.

Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop returns by popular demand to serve up delicious Asian dishes, and Mr. Ping himself will interact with guests and take souvenir photos. Guests can learn how to draw Po and take home the drawing as a keepsake memento. On select days, there will be cultural performances featuring traditional lion dances. The world-famous Studio Tour is available in Mandarin at select times throughout the day. In-language park maps are also available for guests.