A Chinese New Year Family Day at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Feb 17 has drawn thousands of participants to enjoy free performances and activities for all ages.

Throughout the Kennedy Center, the children and their families watched folk dancing, acrobatics, and shadow puppetry, and Chinese Opera make-up demo, and learned the arts of paper umbrella coloring, paper cutting, block printing and red lantern making.

They could also try on traditional Chinese outfits and observe masters at work with calligraphy and sugar painting.

The event is part of the Kennedy Center's annual Lunar New Year festivities. This year the center celebrates the Year of the Dog with three days of special events showcasing the arts and culture of Chengdu, capital of Southeast China's Sichuan province.

The province is home to most of the world's giant pandas, including those at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington DC.

The Kennedy Center also arranged tours in Mandarin in most of the day.