Marketing

McDonald's lights up Lunar New Year with Asian stars, red envelopes

Korean-American hip-hop artist and actor, Dumbfoundead, will be hosting a mini-series on his Instagram as part of this year's McDonald's Lunar New Year celebration. (Photo provided)

February 3, 2021

McDonald's is going all-in for one of China's biggest annual holidays, the Lunar New Year, which begins Feb. 12 as the official start to this Year of the Ox. Partnering with global Asian artist collective, 88rising, McDonald's created the Golden Start experience, a series of digital celebrations of the ancient annual celebration, according to a company press release.

On Feb. 12, the first day of Lunar New Year, McDonald's is hosting a virtual mini-concert with 88rising Chinese hip-hop artist, Masiwei, who will perform songs for the first time from his upcoming solo album, "Dark Horse." Fans who download the McDonald's App can watch this concert exclusively on the McDonald's App from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. local U.S. time.

"I'm a big fan of McDonald's, so it's super cool to partner with the Golden Arches to celebrate the new year with a special concert, and more," Masiwei — who is also a member of Chinese hip-hop group, Higher Brothers — said in the release. "As one of my favorite holidays, I always look forward to the new year, and I'm sure this one will be even more memorable for me and my fans."

As a celebration that spans several days, in addition to the Masiwei concert, McDonald's and 88rising Korean-American hip-hop artist and actor, Dumbfoundead, with special guests, will share his favorite holiday traditions through an online mini-series. Starting Feb. 8, fans can tune in to IGTV to hear Dumbfoundead's fresh take on such beloved traditions as cleaning and decorating the house, swapping old clothes for new, and playing games.

"We're excited to celebrate Lunar New Year with Masiwei and Dumbfoundead, two brand fans and awesome artists, who share our commitment to honoring the meaningful traditions of our guests," Elizabeth Campbell, McDonald's senior director of Cultural Engagement, said in the release. "We know the importance of the holiday and what it represents to many of our customers and can't wait to kick off the Golden Start experience with some fun and unique moments and twists."

No Lunar New Year is complete without red envelopes, so McDonald's and 88rising have created 888 limited edition red envelopes that pay homage to the lucky number eight. Traditionally filled with money and given to friends and family for luck and prosperity, these red envelopes will be available with any purchase on the 88rising Night Market online store beginning Feb. 8.

Each red envelope will include two $8 McDonald's Arch Cards to honor the tradition of sharing good fortune with others. This is the fourth year that McDonald's has created custom red envelopes to celebrate the time-honored tradition.

In the U.S. alone, McDonald's operates 14,000 locations. The brand is based in Chicago.