Inclusive Vancouver LunarFest celebrations herald the Year of the Ox The rich Indigenous heritage of Canada and Taiwan will be reflected through Musqueam band and Paiwan tribe family stories by Charlie Smith on February 10th, 2021 at 6:33 AM 1 of 7 2 of 7 The pandemic hasn’t been easy on the organizers of Vancouver’s annual LunarFest celebration. Last year, COVID-19 was creating havoc in Asia just as Lunar New Year approached. And fears about the novel coronavirus spread across the Pacific Ocean just as the Asian-Canadian Special Events Association was organizing its giant Coastal Lunar Lanterns display at Jack Poole Plaza. This year, on the eve of the arrival of the Year of the Ox to ring in Lunar New Year on Friday (February 12), the organizers were thrown another curveball by the pandemic.