Gung hay fat choy! It’s Lunar New Year season — time to hit up some parades, performances and grab lots of delicious food.
In China, Korea, Vietnam, and other parts of east Asia, the Lunar New Year marks not just the beginning of a new year but also the arrival of spring. To celebrate, people get together for reunion dinners, set off fireworks and firecrackers, give each other gifts of money in red envelopes, and decorate their houses with symbols of good luck, prosperity, and longevity.
On the Chinese Zodiac calendar, 2024 marks the Year of the Dragon, a sign associated with power, honor, and success. And all across New York City, locals and visitors alike will be getting together to welcome the new year and enjoy the company of friends and family. You, too, can join in the fun with our handy events guide, highlighting the best Lunar New Year festivities in the month of February across the five boroughs, from lion dance performances to arts and crafts fairs to concerts.
Check out our NYC Chinatown Guides:
EVENTS
Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Dragon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday, February 3rd, will feature dance performances, puppet shows, calligraphy workshops, poetry readings, arts and crafts, and more, from 11 AM to 5 PM at 1000 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Moon Over Manhattan: A Lunar New Year Family Day at the Asia Society on Saturday, February 3rd, with lion dancing, a kung fu demonstration, a performance of Korean New Year's songs, and arts and crafts, from 1 PM to 4 PM at 725 Park Avenue in Manhattan.
Celebrate Lunar New Year at Hudson Yards on Saturday, February 3rd and 10th, featuring traditional lion dances and ribbon twirling performances from the New York Chinese Cultural Center, happening three times a day (1 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM) at 20 Hudson Yards in Manhattan.
Lunar New Year Family Festival 2024 at the China Institute in America on Sunday, February 4th, with a lion dance, a puppet performance, and master artisans leading workshops for all ages featuring calligraphy, tea tasting, dumpling making, pottery sculpting, woodblock printing, and more, from 2 PM to 5 PM at 100 Washington Street in Manhattan.
Chinese New Year Carnival at the Alfred E. Smith Recreation Center on Monday, February 5th, with activities including chopstick games, dumpling and red envelopes making, Chinese character writing, and more, from 3 PM to 5 PM at 80 Catherine Street in Manhattan.
Year of the Dragon at Metrograph on Friday, February 9th and Saturday, February 10th, honors this being the Year of the Dragon with screenings of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on Friday and Raya and the Last Dragon on Saturday, beginning at 8:45 PM on Friday and at 11:30 AM on Saturday, at 7 Ludlow Street in Manhattan.
Lunar New Year Lightings at the Oculus on Friday, February 9th; Saturday, February 10th; and Sunday, February 11th, with the Oculus and 1 World Trade Center lit up in red and gold, each night at 50 Church Street and 285 Fulton Street.
Lunar New Year Plants Tour at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden on Thursday, February 8th and Saturday, February 10th, is a guided look in English and Cantonese at Asian fruits and plants central to the holiday, such as bamboo and ginger, from 1 PM to 2:15 PM on Thursday and 11 AM to 12:15 PM on Saturday, at 150 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
26th New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival at Sara D. Roosevelt Park on Saturday, February 10th, welcomes the new year by setting off firecrackers and fireworks to scare away evil spirits and bad luck, with lion dancers set to perform as well, from 11 AM to 3:30 PM, on Grand Street between Chrystie Street and Forsyth Street in Manhattan.
Flushing’s Lunar New Year Parade on Saturday, February 10th, will feature dancers, artists, and floats as well as food vendors and markets, starting at 11 AM at 133-33 39th Avenue in Flushing, Queens.
Lunar New Year Day Lion Dancing at Pearl River Mart on Saturday, February 10th, featuring lion and dragon dance team performances, starting at 5 PM at 452 Broadway in Manhattan.
Lunar New Year Family Coloring Workshop at Flushing Town Hall on Saturday, February 10th, with a Korean folk art drawing class led by artist Stephanie Lee, starting at 3 PM at 137-35 Northern Boulevard in Flushing, Queens.
Family Art Project: Fan of Lunar New Year at Wave Hill House on Saturday, February 10th and Sunday, February 11th, where you’ll learn about the Year of the Dragon and can build and decorate a fan inspired by “dragons” found in nature, from 10 AM to 1 PM at 4900 Independence Avenue in the Bronx.
Celebrate Lunar New Year at the Brooklyn Children's Museum on Sunday, February 11th, with storytime, musical performances, Chinese calligraphy workshops, kung fu lessons, and a rooftop lion dance, starting at 10 AM at 145 Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Lunar New Year Celebration and Cultural Fair hosted by the Glow Cultural Center at Flushing Town Hall on Sunday, February 11th, featuring a parade, a bazaar, and performances including juggling, acrobatics, a sword dance, Chinese opera, and more, from 12 PM to 4 PM at 137-35 Northern Boulevard in Flushing, Queens.
Lunar New Year Mixer at the Museum of Chinese in America on Thursday, February 15th, featuring a performance by drag artist Angel Au, a concert by silkcore band P.H.0, and music by DJ Aspirin, with snacks and drinks, from 6:30 PM to 9 PM at 215 Centre Street in Manhattan.
Super Saturday on Saturday, February 17th, is the day during which lion dancer troupes go door to door in Chinatown blessing businesses and performing on the streets, happening all day Saturday in lower Manhattan.
Lunar New Year Family Festival at the Museum of Chinese in America on Saturday, February 17th, will include performances by the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, a fan dance workshop, a noodle pulling demo, arts and crafts, and more, from 2 PM to 5 PM at 215 Centre Street in Manhattan.
Chinese New Year Celebration at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden on Saturday, February 17th, with story time, arts and crafts including a calligraphy workshop, and performances, as well as a lion dance and parade and a tour of the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden, from 12 PM to 3 PM at 1000 Richmond Terrace in Staten Island.
Lunar New Year Celebration at the Seaport at the South Street Seaport on Saturday, February 17th, with a lion dance in Seaport Square and Chinese crafts and calligraphy workshops at the Seaport Museum, starting at 1 PM at 19 Fulton Street in Manhattan.
Lunar New Year Celebration at the Queens Botanical Garden on Sunday, February 18th, featuring lion dancers, traditional Chinese music, arts and crafts, and a vendor fair, from 12 PM to 4 PM at 43-50 Main Street in Flushing, Queens.
Welcome to the Year of the Dragon at the Oculus on Sunday, February 18th, with performances of traditional Chinese music and dances, drumming, opera, and kung fu, from 2 PM to 3 PM at 50 Church Street in Manhattan.
Lunar New Year Celebration at the Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture on Sunday, February 18th, featuring a performance by the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, from 1 PM to 4 PM at Hostos Community College, located at 450 Grand Concourse in the Bronx.
Lunar New Year concert by the New York Philharmonic on Tuesday, February 20th, with performances by guest artists of works including Zhou Tian’s Transcend and Elliot Leung’s Lunar Overture, starting at 7 PM at Lincoln Center in Manhattan.
26th Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade and Festival in Chinatown on Sunday, February 25th, featuring dancers, musical performers, and local civic and cultural groups, starts at 1 PM and will take place throughout the neighborhood with festival booths on Bayard Street between Mott Street and Mulberry Street in Manhattan.
Attending a Lunar New Year event in the region? Tag @MTAaway in your social posts!
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