By Charly SHELTON

With the Lunar New Year arriving Friday, celebrations will be happening across the world and in several places around the Greater LA area. Among the most notable celebrations are those at the local theme parks.
Universal Studios Hollywood has had an increasingly popular Lunar New Year event for the last several years that included plum blossom trees all in bloom, red wishing cards to tie in the branches of the trees, beautiful decorations and meet-and-greets with Universal characters in Chinese garb. But this year is bigger than ever, with the addition of a stage hosting several different shows throughout the day, Asian foods from a noodle shop, character drawing lessons, new characters to take photos with guests and a walk-up interactive meet-and-greet featuring Mr. Ping, the adoptive goose father of Po the panda from “Kung Fu Panda.” There’s a lot to see and do, and it’s a great time.
The event, which at one time just had decorations, has evolved into a costumed-character-driven pop-up themed land for “Kung Fu Panda.” Located in Universal Plaza and conveniently surrounded by the Kung Fu Panda-covered construction walls of the nearby coming attraction “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest” in the Dreamworks Theatre, this is a nice taste of what’s to come when the new attraction opens this summer. Whether it’s watching the Dragon Warrior Training Show at the Jade Palace Stage or meeting Masters Po and Tigress for a photo, or learning to draw any of the Furious Five from a seasoned animator, there’s something for everyone’s taste. And it’s not just Kung Fu Panda; there are Minions in Chinese dress, classic Chinese decorations and photo ops, and Mandarin-speaking Megatron to pose for photos and chat with about world domination.

My favorite aspect is Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop. Any guests who have visited Donkey (from Shrek) at his waffle stand elsewhere in the park will be familiar with the giant, intricate puppet-and-voiceover combo that make it super realistic to interact with a famous wise-cracking character. Mr. Ping is the same way, with the window to his shop open to speak with guests before they go around the corner to get one of his famous noodle dishes. And while the noodles left a lot to be desired and the potstickers could have been better, the experience of interacting with a three-foot-tall goose was fun, and everyone leaves with a smile.
The Lunar New Year celebration runs now through Feb. 25. The Dreamworks Theatre attraction opens this summer.