Lunar New Year celebrations kick-off this weekend and as NY1's Erin Clarke tells us it's the first time Asian culture is being paraded through midtown.

Lion dancers and dragons made their way down Madison Avenue Saturday to celebrate the upcoming year of the Monkey on the Lunar calendar.

A year that's starting out as a historic one with the city observing the Lunar New Year as a school holiday for the first time

"That  means more culture more recognition which great for the Asian community versus in the past when it was a regular school day," said one woman.

And also celebrating the holiday through the streets of the Upper East Side and Midtown Manhattan — another first.   

"In all the years we've been here, Asian Americans have never marched uptown and everybody knows about Madison Avenue," said Executive Director of the Chinatown Partnership, Wellington Chen.

Lunar New Year celebrations have traditionally been held in lower Manhattan's Chinatown, where there's a Madison Street, so organizers say they're drawing a connection between the two roads and broadening their reach.

"There's a rich, rich culture in Chinatown that a lot of people on the east side and the Upper East Side don't get to experience," said President of the East Midtown Partnership Rob Byrnes. "We're bringing them up."

"It's in a new area. It's in unchartered territory. It's bringing people together. It could only be good," said one paradegoer.

The event also celebrated a partnership between the city and Shanghai, China, with representatives from the Madison Avenue BID and the Shanghai's Bund Association for Promotion of Commerce and Trade.

"They're both very modern big cities and business oriented and multicultural," said one.

And Asian culture was on full display.

"I really like the Lion dancers," said one paradegoer." All of the Lions and I love when they eat the cabbage."

Troupes of dancers started at East 76th street stopping in 30 stores along the way for brief performances

The parade continued on to Harman store on East 54th Street where there were performances and family activities.

Organizers encouraged everyone to continue the celebration well beyond the Midtown portion.

"Chinatown is going to celebrate all month," said President of the East Midtown Partnership, Byrnes. "Go down to Chinatown and celebrate with the Chinese-American community down there."