KINGSTON, R.I.- February 19, 2013- The University of Rhode Island Confucius Institute is celebrating the Year of the Snake during its annual Chinese Spring Festival Saturday, Feb. 23. Dance performances, arts and crafts, and interactive workshops will give participants a chance to experience traditional Chinese culture.

The events begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom, 50 Lower College Road, Kingston. The festival is free and open to the public, but donations to the Confucius Institute are appreciated.

Not only will visitors have the opportunity to view authentic Chinese art, they will get the chance to create it. The Confucius Institute and the Chinese Student and Scholar Association will be teaching calligraphy, paper carving, and riddle solving for the first hour of the celebration.

“We want to incorporate people of every background in our celebration, while promoting Chinese culture and language,” said Qian Xie, 2013 Confucius Institute and Chinese Spring Festival coordinator.

A dinner of Chinese favorites will be served at 4:30 p.m. In an effort to be green, registration on the University of Rhode Island Chinese Students & Scholars Association Facebook page is required to ensure that food will not be wasted.

At 6:30 p.m., professional performers, including Liang Chen, a vocal major from Shanghai University and Zhangling Shao, a solo singer who has performed at venues including Carnegie Center, Lincoln Center and Broadway, will participate in a gala at Edwards Hall auditorium. Suxiong Wu, winner of the 2003 International Close Range Magician Competition and the 2004 International Magician Competition, will add magic tricks to the dynamic show. URI students and professors will also be showcasing their talents.

Between each program, raffles will give the audience an opportunity to win traditional Chinese artwork.