With the Lunar New Year coming up, what are the events in New York City’s five boroughs to celebrate the festival? Documented has listed 28 activities for you, including dragon and lion dances, firecrackers, art performances, family activities, art workshops and Spring Festival couplet distribution events, to accompany you to celebrate the New Year!
Unlike the Western New Year, the Lunar New Year usually comes a few weeks after January 1, according to the Lunar calendar. For many Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore, the Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays of the year. While the above countries will follow some common traditions when celebrating the Lunar New Year, other traditions may vary depending on the cultural characteristics of each country. The Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the “Spring Festival,” will last 15 days this year, starting on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. According to the Chinese zodiac, this year is the Year of the Dragon.
Remember to bookmark this article, mark the important dates, and celebrate the Lunar New Year with wonderful activities with your friends and family!
Manhattan
- THE MET: Celebrating the Year of the Dragon
Time: Feb. 3 – January 2025
Location: The Met Fifth Ave., Gallery 207
Admission: Admission is free for members and children under 12. For residents and students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, ticket prices are at their discretion. May art bring you good luck! The Metropolitan Museum of Art will host performances, interactive events and artist-led workshops for audiences of all ages.
This exhibition brings together over two dozen works selected from the museum’s permanent collection that depict the imaginary animal, the dragon, in various mediums, including ceramics, jade, lacquerware, metalwork and textiles. Together, they illustrate the important role of the dragon as a representation of imperial authority, a dynamic force to dispel evil influences and a benevolent deity that brings auspicious rain to all life on earth. Click here to learn more.
- New York Public Library Lunar New Year Celebration
Time: Feb. 1 – 26
Location: Multiple public libraries throughout the city
Admission: Free, reservations are required for some events.
In celebration of the Lunar New Year, the New York City Public Library will host a number of free cultural activities, including lantern-making workshops, storytelling events, film screenings, STEAM lounge and more. Visit the NYPL website to learn more and see what’s happening at a library near you!
- Think!Chinatown Chinese New Year Special Events: Film Festival, Lantern Festival Celebration and Workshops
Time: Feb. 1 – 25
Location: 1 Pike St., New York, NY 10002
Admission: Tickets range from $20 to $35 for the Rituals and Altars: A Community Workshop For the New Year with Alison Kuo at 3 p.m. on Feb. 4. The remaining events are free.
Manhattan’s Chinatown nonprofit, Think!Chinatown, will celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dragon with a series of events, from the engaging black and white photo exhibition “Walking with Lions Artist Talk with Edward Cheng” to a Chinese New Year decorating workshop featuring folk art. Click here to learn more.
- Lincoln Center Lunar New Year’s Eve Celebration and New Year’s Family Celebration Time: Feb. 9 – 10
Location: David Rubenstein Atrium, Lincoln Center, 61 W. 62nd St., New York, NY 10023
Admission: Free. Space is limited; it is first come, first served.
To welcome the Year of the Dragon, Lincoln Center hosts two-day events.
Friday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.: New Year’s Eve celebration with a live DJ.
Saturday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m.: Family celebration. From delicious food to fun presentations; handicrafts and karaoke; dancing and traditional meditation; there’s something for every New Yorker and family. For more information, contact Guest Experience at 212-875-5456 or email guestexperience@lincolncenter.org. Click here to learn more.
- 26th New Year Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival
Time: Saturday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Roosevelt Park, Chinatown, Manhattan (Grand Street and Christie Street)
Admission: Free
As an annual feature of the Lunar New Year celebration, Better Chinatown USA will light hundreds of thousands of firecrackers in grand form to welcome the arrival of the Year of the Dragon. In Chinese tradition, lighting firecrackers means warding off evils. Activities include dragon and lion dances, prayers, drum performances, handicrafts and food. Arrive early if you want to grab a good viewing spot! Click here to learn more.
- Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Chinese New Year Celebration
Time: Feb. 3 – 29
Location: 215 Centre St., New York, NY 10013
Admission: $0 to $10. Seats are limited. Reservations should be made ASAP.
MOCA has a month-long celebration of the Lunar New Year. Highlights include Lunar New Year Museum Makeover on Feb. 3, Dragon Year almanac lecture on Feb. 8, art entertainment on Feb. 15, Lunar New Year Family Festival on Feb. 17, and a concert on Feb. 29. Click here to learn more.
- The Sound of Spring 2024 Lunar New Year Concert
Time: Sunday, Feb. 11, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Jazz Hall at Lincoln Center, 10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023
Tickets: $25 to $100. Tickets over $50 can be purchased with discount code WEB25 for 25% off. All members of the audience, regardless of age, must enter the theater with a ticket. Children under 6 years of age are not recommended to go.
Jindong Cai, Director of the US-China Music Institute, will conduct “The Orchestra Now” to bring the New Year of the Dragon concert to Lincoln Center. With performances by erhu player Zhang Haiyue and dizi player Feng Tianshi from the Central Conservatory of Music of China, renowned winds maestro Guo Yazhi will premiere composer Li Xinyan’s new suona concerto. The concert was organized by the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music in cooperation with the Central Conservatory of Music of China. At 2 p.m. before the concert, children’s activities such as the Chinese musical instrument “Petting Zoo” will be held, where children can explore the mysteries of Chinese musical instruments. The venue is the Jazz Hall Rose Theater Lobby on the 5th floor of Lincoln Center. Click here to learn more.
- Bryant Park New Year’s Show
Time: Saturday, Feb. 17, 10am – 11am
Location: Bryant Park, Manhattan, between 40th and 42nd streets and between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
Admission: Free
Enjoy the festive atmosphere of Lunar New Year while strolling through Bryant Park! Families can make their own drum and dragon puppets, participate in kung fu performances, and watch lion dances and other traditional music performances from the New York Chinese Cultural Center. Click here to learn more.
- The Seaport Lunar New Year Celebration
Time: Saturday, Feb. 17, 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Multiple locations at The Seaport in Manhattan
Admission: Free
The Seaport will host an all-day event to welcome the Year of the Dragon. Highlights include:
1 – 2:25 p.m.: Dragon and lion dance performance.
2 – 4 p.m.: Chinese calligraphy workshop (registration required).
11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Year of the Dragon chain crafts making.
- New York Philharmonic Orchestra Lunar New Year Concert
Time: Tuesday, Feb. 20 7 p.m.
Location: Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023
Admission: from $47 to $95, enter discount code LUNAR25 to get 25% off.
This concert is conducted by Long Yu. Clara-Jumi Kang, Clayton Stephenson, Serena Wang, Jamie Bernstein and other artists will present Elliot Leung’s Lunar Overture (world premiere), Bruch’s beloved Violin Concerto No. 1, and selections from Zhou Tian’s Transcend (New York premiere, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Pacific Railroad) and Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals. Click here to learn more.
- 26th Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival
Time: Sunday, Feb. 25, 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: In the heart of Chinatown in Manhattan. It will be held along Bayard Street between Mott Street and Mulberry Street.
Admission: Free
Sponsored by the Better Chinatown USA, this is one of the most representative Chinese New Year celebrations in the Eastern U.S. There will be dragon and lion dance performances, sports car displays, artistic performances, float parades and other activities. Click here to learn more.
- Read the “Welcome to Chinatown” guide and visit Chinatown to buy decorations and goods to celebrate the New Year!
Welcome to Chinatown has put together a handy digital guide to where to buy flowers, gifts, goodies and food in Chinatown to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Click here to learn more.
Brooklyn
- City Point Brooklyn: Balloontopia, free family photos and more
Time: Feb. 3 – 4, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: 445 Albee Square W., Brooklyn, NY 11201
Admission: Free
City Point Brooklyn will celebrate Chinese New Year on Feb. 3 and 4 with a traditional lion dance performance, giant balloons for the Year of the Dragon, children’s Lunar New Year handicrafts and free family portraits. Free event for all ages.
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Giant dragon balloon! The event is located on the main floor, next to Rumi.
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Public members can take a free Chinese New Year family photo in front of the red Balloon Dragon on a first-come, first-served basis.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Lunar New Year crafts making – creating dragons and drums with provided handicrafts. Ideal for children aged 3-10 years. Located at DeKalb Market Hall, next to the Han Dynasty Restaurant.
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.: Multiple lion dance performances with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and others. Performances are at 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. at City Point; 2:10 p.m., 2:40 p.m., and 3:20 p.m. at Albee Square; 3:40 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. at DeKalb Market Hall. Click here to learn more.
- Free Spring Swing in Brooklyn
Time: Tuesday, Feb. 6, 3:30 p.m.
Location: United Cultural Association, 829 63rd St., Brooklyn
Admission: Free
The United Cultural Association will hold an event celebrating the Lunar New Year, with calligraphy masters giving out free calligraphy works. You can also participate in lantern-making and paper-cutting activities.
- Fighting to Belong! Graphic Novel Book Launch and Lunar New Year Party
Time: Thursday, Feb. 8, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Location: Hana House. 345 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11210
Admission: The event is free and open to the public. An RSVP is required for entry: https://fightingtobelonglaunch.rsvpify.com/.
To ring in the Lunar New Year, The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and Third State Books are hosting a family-friendly book launch party at Hana House to celebrate AANHPI history and culture with the highly anticipated release of the graphic novel Fighting to Belong!
The book shares an important and dynamic part of American history in an engaging comic book format for children aged 8-13. Volume I, the first in a three-part series, follows middle school protagonists and their guide, Kenji, on an amazing journey through time to observe key events in AANHPI history, from the ‘Manilamen’ in New Orleans to the Gold Rush in California.
The first 300 kids in attendance will receive a FREE signed copy of the graphic novel! Authors Amy Chu & Alexander Chang will read excerpts of Fighting to Belong! Illustrator Louie Chin will host a comic book drawing workshop. Other activities include a Lion dancing performance by Alexander Chang and a Yu & Me Books pop-up featuring children’s books and AAPI titles.
- The Brooklyn Children’s Museum Lunar New Year Celebration
Time: Sunday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: 145 Brooklyn Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11213
Admission: $15, free for children under 1 year old, seniors $14.
Welcome the Year of the Dragon with the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. With storytelling, music, calligraphy workshops, kung fu classes and a rooftop lion dance parade led by the Chinatown Community Young Lions, learn more about the Lunar New Year festivities and traditions! Click here to learn more.
- Brooklyn 18th Avenue Lunar New Year Celebration Parade
Time: Sunday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.
Location: Starts at 18th Avenue and 66th Street in Brooklyn and ends at 82nd Street
Admission: Free
The public is welcome to join the event organized by the Chinese American Social Services Center celebrating the Year of the Dragon.
- Brooklyn Lunar New Year’s Fair
Time: Saturday, Feb. 17, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m
Location: PS310, 942 62nd St., Brooklyn
Admission: Free
The United Cultural Association and the Office of Assemblymember Lester Chang will jointly hold this event. Game booths, performances, free gifts and snacks will be on site. Everyone is welcome to participate.
- First Brooklyn Lantern Parade
Time: Saturday, Feb. 24, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: The parade begins at 12 p.m. at 7th Avenue and 62nd Street in Brooklyn and proceeds up 7th Avenue to 52nd Street before turning into 8th Avenue. Finally, the parade goes along 8th Avenue back to 61st Street.
Admission: Free
The event was co-sponsored by several groups, including the BRACENY, with support from the offices of Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, State Representative William Colton, Assemblymember Lester Chang, and City Councilmember Susan Zhuang. There will be more than 30 performing teams and 22 floats. The event will bring Sichuan Opera face changing, dragon and lion dance, paper-cut lanterns, lantern riddles, welcoming the God of Wealth, cheongsam show, Hanfu show and other performances.
Queens
- Flushing Town Hall Lunar New Year celebration
Time: Jan. 27 – Feb. 25
Location: 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354
Admission: Some events are free. For others, tickets range from $8 to $15.
Flushing Town Hall brings a series of celebrations for the Lunar New Year. Events include:
Jan. 27 – Feb. 18, 12 – 5 p.m.: Lunar New Year Exhibition: Remember. The exhibition combines traditional folktales with modern New York life, presenting the struggles and precious memories of immigrants, as well as reflecting on the anti-Asian hate in American history and the post-COVID era.
Saturday, Feb. 10: A concert at Flushing Town Hall from Korean musical duo CelloGayageum, which fuses the instrumental sounds of the cello and Korean gayageum, drawing inspiration from the “Pavilion of Unification” in Berlin.
Sunday, Feb. 25, 3 p.m.: Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company presents Red Firecrackers, performed by a superb cast, including dazzling props, colorful costumes, mesmerizing music, dreamlike acrobatics, and lively dancing. It tells the story of the origins of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration: A group of villagers working together to defeat a terrifying monster of the ages. Click here to learn more.
- Queens Center lion dance performance and K-Pop dance workshop
Time: Saturday, Feb. 3, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: 90-15 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst, NY 11373
Admission: Free
The Queens Center in Elmhurst will celebrate the Year of the Dragon with a spectacular holiday show. Children will be able to enjoy dragon and lion dances, paper-cutting and calligraphy workshops and K-Pop dance workshops, which are suitable for the whole family. Click here to learn more.
- Flushing Lunar New Year Parade and Celebration Performance
Time: Saturday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Starting at the NYPD 109th Precinct at 37-05 Union St., Flushing, and passing through Union Street, Sanford Avenue, Main Street, 39th Avenue, and finally reaching Queens Crossing.
Admission: Free
Sponsored by Flushing Chinese Business Association. After the morning parade, there will be New Year’s performances and cultural events at Tangram, a new shopping mall on 39th Avenue.
- Glow Cultural Center Spring Festival Celebrations: Parade, New Year Festival and Spring Festival Gala
Time: Sunday, Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: The Glow Cultural Center is located at 133-29 41st Ave., Flushing, NY 11355, and the Flushing Town Hall is located at 137-35 Northern Ave., Flushing, NY 11354.
Admission: The ticket is as low as $5. For more information or to get tickets, please call 718-359-1888 or visit https://glownyc.org/lny-celebrations/.
To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, the Glow Cultural Centre will organize a series of celebration activities on the second day of the New Year, including a parade and Spring Festival Gala, inviting the community to join in.
The Parade will begin at the Glow Cultural Center at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 11 and proceed along Main Street to Flushing Town Hall, featuring a lion dance and a traditional Chinese wedding parade.
From 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the first-floor gallery of Flushing Town Hall will host cultural booths on dough kneads, calligraphy, Hanfu, sugar gourd, sugar painting and more.
From 12:30 to 2 p.m. and 2:30 to 4 p.m., the theater on the second floor of Flushing Town Hall will host a Spring Festival Gala. The audience can enjoy traditional Chinese performances such as Sichuan opera, Chinese opera and sword dance. Click here to learn more.
- Long Island City Lunar New Year Celebrations
Time: Jan. 20 – Feb. 19
Location: Long Island City
Admission: Tickets are not required for some events
The Long Island City Lunar New Year Celebration, hosted by the Long Island City Partnership, returns this February! LIC’s month-long celebration of some 70 events will feature promotions and programs from local businesses and organizations, ranging from traditional red envelope giveaways and food experiences to family-friendly arts and fitness programs, museum exhibits and history lectures. The event highlights LIC’s large Asian community, providing exciting events and festival experiences for people of all ages and helping local small businesses thrive. Click here to learn more.
- Queens Museum Lunar New Year celebration
Time: Sunday, Feb. 11, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368
Admission: Free
Limited spots, reservations should be made ASAP. Reservations are required for admission, and additional reservations are required for the afternoon Calligraphy and Ink Brush Painting Workshop.
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with folk dances, lion and dragon dances, Beijing Opera and traditional arts in Queens. In addition, there will be a Year of the Dragon craft creation workshop for all ages hosted by the Queens Museum Education Team. There will be an hour-long Chinese dance performance by the NYCCC’s School of the Arts. Click here to learn more.
- Queens Botanical Garden to celebrate the Year of the Dragon
Time: Sunday, Feb. 18, 12 – 4 p.m.
Location: 43-50 Main St., Flushing, NY 11355
Admission: Free, suggested donation of $5 and parking fee of $15.
Bring the kids to the Queens Botanical Garden to celebrate the Lunar New Year! Performances and activities will keep you busy, including lion dance, concert, paper cutting workshop, New Year crafts, story reading, Children’s Garden Open Day (families only), Hanfu photo station, New Year flower market, the God of Wealth will be present on the day to bring good luck to everyone! Click here to learn more.
Staten Island
- Crafts and lion dance performances on Staten Island
Time: Saturday, Feb. 17, 12 – 3 p.m.
Location: 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
Admission: $12, 20% discount for students, seniors and members.
The Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden will host a Chinese New Year celebration with snacks, story sessions, snacks and traditional crafts. Parents can also take their children to a calligraphy workshop. If weather permits, a lion dance will lead participants through the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden. Click here to learn more.
- Staten Island Children’s Museum Lunar New Year celebration
Time: Tuesday, Feb. 20, 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Location: 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building M, Staten Island, NY 10301
Admission: $8, free for children under one year old.
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Staten Island Children’s Museum by immersing ourselves in music, dance and Chinese culture. There will be many interesting activities such as a calligraphy performance and ribbon dance. Click here to learn more.
This article was translated by Nancy Chen.
