Lunar New Year Family Festival
Saturday and Sunday, February 6-7, 10am-5pm
Museum of Chinese in Americas at 215 Centre Street and Children's Museum of the Arts at 182 Lafayette Street, Manhattan
Daily event tickets cost $10 / person (adult or child any age) for each venue. 

The Museum of Chinese In America (MOCA) and Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) are teaming up to create a huge co-hosted weekend of fun family-friendly events, classes, art workshops and festivities. to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Festival highlights include a Silkscreening and Tiger-Puppet-Making Workshop with artist Peter Yip (reserve in advance), a Chinese Yo-Yo performance, a participatory Lion Dance Workshop and a Storytelling and Art Workshop with My Chinatown author-illustrator Kam Mak, cool Lunar New Year Cake Decorating Workshop with Christina Seid from the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, a Noodle-Making Demo, storytelling and a Lion dance.

Check their websites (above) for more information about the festival events and other Lunar New Year events this month.

Discount tip: On Sunday buy a ticket at one venue & get 50% off your ticket at the other.

New Year's Day Firecracker Ceremony, Parade, & Cultural Festival
Sara Roosevelt Park, Corner of Grand St and Chrystie St., Manhattan
Sunday, February 14th, noon-3:30 pm
All ages, Free! 

After the opening ceremonies (including a huge firecracker display), Lion Dancers and Chinese Opera singers will perform on stage along with Dragon and Unicorn dance troupes. While on-stage events continue, lion dancers and other performers will march through Chinatown (Mott, Bowery, East Broadway, Bayard, Elizabeth, and Pell) to help ring in the New Year. Expect all-day singing and dance performances at various points where smaller stages are set up along the route. We’ve enjoyed this parade more than once and though crazy-busy it’s always a worthwhile treat. 

TIP: Don't bring a stroller. It's too crowded. 

Chinatown Lion and Dragon Dance Parade and Performance
Sunday, February 21st, from 1:00 pm - 3 pm
All Ages, Free

Expect to see fantastic floats and plenty of lion and dragon dancers marching down the streets. Talented acrobats, martial arts performers, singers, dancers, and even magicians join the procession. Afterwards you can head over to Bayard Street for an outdoor festival where you can see more great Asian/Asian-American talent on display. Route: The parade weaves through Chinatown. Stick near Mott and you should find it.

Lunar New Year’s Parade and Celebration in Flushing, Queens
PARADE: from Union Street at 37th Ave.(start) to Main Street, 39th Ave, Queens
Saturday, February 20th, 11 am to 1 pm, All ages, Free!

Be prepared for plenty of dragon dancers, drummers, colorful costumes and fireworks plus all the traditional fanfare. After the parade follow the performers to the Flushing Mall (13331 39th Ave. at Prince St., just two blocks from Main St.) for more festivities including music, a Chinese children’s choir, Chinese calligraphy demos and even more fireworks (!), not to mention their fantastic Food Court (this is not a typical food court, but amazing, authentic Chinese food--definitely go!)

PARADE TIP: Find a spot early anywhere on Main street to see the action. There are some viewing stands along the parade route typically at the Flushing Library (Main and Kissena) as well as at 39th and Main where the parade ends.

AFTER THE PARADE…Beginning at 1pm Flushing hosts two more FREE celebrations for the public (All Ages), both featuring festivities, performances, music, and “cultural displays”. One is at The Flushing Chinese Business Association Celebration on the second floor of Queens Crossing at 136-17 39th Ave., Queens and the other, the Korean American Association of Queens Celebration takes place at Korea Village Open Center at 150-24 Northern Blvd. At 150th Street, Queens (718-353-8969). Expect Korean food, dancing, martial arts demonstrations, games, music and more.

Plus there’s a Free Post-Parade multi-cultural DANCE show:
Flushing Town Hall Post-Parade Lunar New Year Dance Sampler
137-35 Northern Blvd, at Linden, Queens
Saturday, February 20th, 2pm (post-parade), All ages, Free!

NY Institute of Culture and the Arts presents a panoply of dance performances from Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Asia Society’s Moon Over Manhattan New Year’s Celebration
Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), Manhattan
Saturday, February 6th, 1-4pm, All ages
Free with admission. $10 adults, children under 16 free

We did this one year and loved it. Multiple events run on different floors but don’t miss the main stage show including a Dragon Dance, a dynamic Kung Fu demonstration, and an excerpt from a classic Peking Opera Monkey King Steals the Heavenly Peaches. Another exciting-sounding highlight is The Cat Who Went to Heaven, a delightful jazz puppet show for children age 6 and up from 12:30-1:30pm. Other Lunar New Year activities include Chinese paper cutting, making 3D animal zodiac books, origami, and a reading of the book The Year of the Tiger by author Justin Roth. This events sells out every year, so get your tickets early!

Brooklyn Children’s Museum Chinese New Year Weekend
145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn
Saturday, Feb 6th and Sunday Feb 7th beginning at 10 am
Most events are for all ages, a few are age specific
Free with admission

Get ready for the Year of the Tiger with special programs like enjoying the Transfiguration Song & Dance Group, creating a Plum Blossom art project, making your own Lion Dance Puppets or New Years Hats, or testing out Fire It Up fireworks in the science kitchen.


China Institute Lunar New Year Celebrations
125 East 65th Street, Manhattan
For more info or to register contact Crystal Elmore at 212-744-8181, x118, celmore@chinainstitute.org

The China Institute celebrates the Lunar New Year with a free Lion Dance performance on the street outside their building (Sunday, February 7, 11 am -12 pm), plus lots of workshops. Try the Dumpling Making Workshop on February 6 or 13 1-2:30 to learn how to make your own dumplings (and eat the results). or check their website for other New Year related workshops. Workshop Cost: $50 for one child and one adult ($40 member child-adult pair), $20 each additional person.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Lunar New Year Celebration
1000 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan
Sunday, February 7, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., The Uris Center for Education, ground floor
All ages, Free with museum admission.

Special Lunar New Year’s program featuring Sesame Street-star Alan Muraoka; a performance by Music for China Changing Faces (Chinese folk opera from Sichuan); hands-on activities for children and adults alike; a lion procession, and more!

NY Chinese Cultural Center Lunar New Year Festival
Various locations (Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island)
February 6, 13 and 21
Tickets $10-$20 depending on venue

Dance is such an integral part of the Lunar New Year’s Celebration that you’ll find it part of most Lunar New Year's Celebrations. Fun performances for the entire family feature music, dance, Peking Opera and more. These dance performances offer traditional Chinese performing arts from Dance China NY and the Chinese Cultural Center's students.

World Financial Center Celebrates Chinese New Year
World Financial Center, Winter Garden
February 17, 12:30pm
All ages, Free!

Les Ballets de L’Opera Chinois offers a free lively performance of music and traditional dance

Lunar New Year Story Times
Children learn about Chinese Lunar New Year through picture books:

On February 6 from 12-2 noted ringmaster and puppeteer Grace Chang reads from her newest book, "Jin Jin and Rain Wizard" at Books of Wonder . All ages, FREE

Author Michele Wong McSween reads from two recently launched books featuring adorable pandas, "Gordon & Li Li: Learn Animals in Mandarin" and "Gordon & Li Li: Count in Mandarin. For children Ages 2-4. Saturday, Feb 6 at apple seeds and Feb 7th at Books Of Wonder. Check website for times and locations.  

Scholastic Store Celebrates Chinese New Year
555 Broadway, Manhattan
Make Chinese tiger puppets and enjoy a story that will teach your children the history of Chinese New Year.
Saturday, Feburary 20th, 3pm, Ages 4 and up, Free!

Chinese New Year Gala Event with Grace Chang and Jin Jin
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Branch, Dweck Theater
1 Grand Army Plaza
Featuring, acrobats, magic illusions, puppetry, live music and Jin Jin the dragon!.
Saturday, February 13, 1:00 PM. Ages 3-8, Free!

MORE: In addition to this main branch event you’ll find the following FREE library events in honor of the Lunar New Year. Chinese Theater Works Presents Hao Bang Ya, Tigers! Puppet Show on Sat Feb 6th at 2pm at the Kings Bay Library and on Tuesday Feb 9th at 3pm at the McKinley Park Library, both shows are for all ages. Chinese Theater Works Presents the Ti-oh-oh Puppet Show at the Mapleton branch on Wed Feb 10th, 4pm, All Ages, Free!, and finally both the Kensington branch AND at Homecrest branch BOTH Celebrate Chinese New Year with Games, Activities, and Music on Thurs Feb 11th 3:45 pm , All ages, Free

Lunar New Year Festival at Flushing Library

41-17 Main St at Kissena Blvd, Queens
Saturday February 27th, program repeats at 10:00am 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:00pm

Celebrate the Year of the Tiger with Chinese and Korean Music, Dance, Song Arts, and Food! This event sounds awesome. A few standout highlights include learning to make (and eat!) Korean bibimbap (which happens to be very delish and kid friendly food), learning to make special New Years flower arrangements, and this intriguing one: “Face-Changing” with the Hung Fing Kwoon Group. Day’s events are all on a first come, first served basis (Hint: this one is popular)

Chinese Theater Works Presents Hao Bang Ya, Tigers! Puppet Show
The Chatham Square Library
33 East Broadway, Manhattan
Thursday February 11th , 3:30 pm, Ages 5 and older. Free!
Right afterwards at 4pm they offer Chinese New Year Crafts for Children