LACMA to host Persian New Year celebration

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The Persian New Year, or Nowruz, falls on Wednesday, March 20 this year.

But on Sunday, the L.A.-based Farhang Foundation, which supports Iranian arts and culture, will hold its fifth annual festival in celebration of the springtime holiday at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The events at LACMA will be the largest Nowruz celebration in the U.S., organizers said, and will include art installations, traditional foods and children’s activities such as face painting and a scavenger hunt.

People who would like to get an early taste of the event Saturday evening can attend the foundation’s annual short film festival, which will include a screening of finalists, an awards ceremony and a reception. Tickets can be bought through LACMA on a limited basis.

Tickets for the world premiere of the music-dance-video performance ‘The Dawn of Spring’ by Shahin Yousefzamani, at 2 p.m. Sunday, also can be bought through LACMA.

All other events are free, organizers said -- although visitors who want to take docent-led tours of LACMA’s Near Eastern galleries will need to pay for admission to the museum.

Because the L.A. Marathon is also taking place Sunday, organizers urged partygoers to check street closures and traffic reports before heading to the museum.

The Farhang Foundation website provides additional details about Nowruz and the festival at LACMA. Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian population outside of Iran.

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