McDonald's is Celebrating Lunar New Year with 88rising to Give Customers a "Golden Start"

CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lunar New Year is a time to set aside the old while welcoming the new. As many people across the country anticipate the Year of the Ox, in the spirit of celebrating new beginnings and the start of the lunar calendar, McDonald's has partnered with 88rising, a leading global Asian artist collective, to create the Golden Start experience for customers and fans. This experience is a collection of three digital moments that will shine a spotlight on Lunar New Year whi­­­le remixing holiday traditions.

The Golden Start experience will include:

• Premiering Feb. 12, a virtual concert by Chinese hip-hop artist Masiwei that will broadcast exclusively on the McDonald's App
• Starting Feb. 8, an IGTV mini-series featuring Korean American hip-hop artist and actor Dumbfoundead to highlight beloved Lunar New Year traditions
• Available Feb. 8, custom, branded red envelopes to help people share good fortune with others that will be available on the 88rising Night Market online store

EXCLUSIVE IN-APP CONCERT TO RING IN LUNAR NEW YEAR

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. For the first time ever, Masiwei will perform songs from his upcoming solo album, "Dark Horse." Fans who download the McDonald's App can watch this concert exclusively on the App from 7 pm - 9 pm 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," said Masiwei, who is also a member of Chinese hip-hop group, Higher Brothers. "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."

IGTV SERIES TO HIGHLIGHT BELOVED LUNAR NEW YEAR PREPARATIONS

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 festive 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," said Elizabeth Campbell, McDonald's Senior Director of Cultural Engagement. "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."

CUSTOM RED ENVELOPES TO SHARE GOOD FORTUNE WITH OTHERS

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, one to enjoy and one to share, 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.

Celebrating Lunar New Year is one of the many ways McDonald's is serving our communities and customers. We know there's a difference between being in a community and being part of one. As good neighbors, McDonald's is committed to sharing in the important moments of the communities we operate in.

*Local time in continental U.S.
**Limited to the first 888 guests who checkout on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning Feb. 8, 2021. One red envelope per order.

About McDonald's USA Community Efforts
The McDonald's Golden Start is just one of many company initiatives created to connect with the communities McDonald's serves. These efforts also include hosting webinars such as Classroom Convos, which focus on topics currently impacting Asian and Pacific Islander American students, the HACER® Education Tour, which provides information to navigate the college application process, the Black & Positively Golden Mentors Program, which pairs industry leaders with up-and-coming changemakers in the same fields, and the Archways to Opportunity program for restaurant crew which provides educational resources to eligible employees at participating U.S. restaurants. Together, with franchisees, we are creating opportunities to feed and foster our communities.

About McDonald's USA 
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to nearly 25 million customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook www.facebook.com/mcdonalds

About 88rising
Revered by the likes of The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, CNN, Forbes, Bloomberg, Billboard, Pitchfork, and Los Angeles Times, 88rising is a global media company that focuses on celebrating Asian talent, stories and culture. A true pioneer in the media and entertainment industry, 88rising is trailblazing the way for never-before-seen, groundbreaking content and quickly becoming a leader in progressive music and the apex of youth culture worldwide. 88rising was the first company to launch an Asian-centric music festival in the United States (Head in the Clouds Music & Arts Festival) and the first to have an Asian R&B artist top the Billboard charts (Joji). In 2019, 88rising created the 88nightmarket e-commerce platform to showcase products that promote Asian artists, culture, and community featuring a carefully-curated collection of highly-sought after collaborations with GUESS, Hajime Sorayama, SANKUANZ, and many more. More information on 88rising can be found on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE McDonald's USA

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