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24 Best Lunar New Year Celebrations and Parades in NYC for Families

The Better Chinatown Society hosts its annual Lunar New Year Parade on Sunday, February 25. Photo by Bob Dea
The Better Chinatown Society hosts its annual Lunar New Year Parade on Sunday, February 25. Photo by Bob Dea
2/2/24 - By Drew Kristofik

Lunar New Year is one of our favorite winter celebrations in New York City. Although the holiday is often referred to as Chinese New Year, many Asian nations celebrate Lunar New Year, and city kids can mark this cultural holiday with family-friendly celebrations citywide, from Chinatown's firecracker ceremony to a Lunar New Year celebration at the Queens Botanical Garden, the FREE celebration at Downtown Brooklyn's Atlantic Terminal Mall, and the New York City Lunar New Year Parade and Festival on Sunday, February 25.

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The Queens Botanical Garden hosts a celebration in honor of the Year of the Dragon. Photo courtesy of QBG
The Queens Botanical Garden hosts a celebration in honor of the Year of the Dragon. Photo courtesy of QBG

Lunar New Year Celebrations in NYC for Families

Lunar New Year Celebration & Balloontopia Dragon Edition

Downtown Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, February 3
Celebrate Chinese New Year at City Point with traditional lion dances, Balloontopia Dragon Edition, kids' Lunar New Year-inspired crafts, and family portraits.    READ MORE

Celebrate the Lunar New Year

Elmhurst, Queens – FREE
Saturday, February 3
Queens Center sets the stage for a vibrant and joyous Lunar New Year event. Immerse yourself in the festive atmosphere with an afternoon filled with cultural delights and exciting activities.  READ MORE

Lunar New Year Festival at The Met: Year of the Dragon

Upper East Side
Saturday, February 3
May art bring you good fortune! Celebrate the Year of the Dragon, one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, with performances, interactive activities, and artist-led workshops for all ages at The Met. READ MORE

The Legacy of the Dragon: Lunar New Year Celebration

Dyker Heights, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, February 3
Ba Ban Chinese Music Society performs nine unique pieces celebrating Lunar New Year. READ MORE

Moon Over Manhattan: A Lunar New Year Family Day

Upper East Side
Saturday, February 3
The Asia Society invites visitors to ring in the new year with performances and craft activities inspired by Lunar New Year traditions across Asia. READ MORE

La MaMa Kids: The Great Zodiac Animal Race

Lower East Side
Saturday & Sunday, February 3 & 4
This charming shadow puppet show retells the classic Lunar New Year zodiac tale with animals inspired by Asian languages and pictograms. READ MORE

Lunar New Year Celebration – SOLD OUT

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Saturday, February 10
Ring in the Year of the Blue Dragon at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and enjoy lion dances, live music, festive snacks, candy, calligraphy, crafts, and more. READ MORE

Lunar New Year Family Celebration

Upper West Side – FREE
Saturday, February 10
Ring in 2024 as the Year of the Wood Dragon: abundance, prosperity, and rejuvenation for all! Come celebrate a diasporic Lunar New Year with a family-friendly party featuring a beloved lion dance performance.    READ MORE

Lunar New Year Family Coloring Workshop with artist Stephanie Lee

Flushing, Queens
Saturday, February 10
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with a Meet the Green Dragon family coloring workshop! Artist Stephanie S. Lee introduces families to the enchanting realm of Korean folk art and teaches how to breathe life into a captivating dragon drawing inspired by 19th-century Minhwa, delicately crafted on Hanji paper. READ MORE

Lunar New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival

Lower East Side – FREE
Saturday, February 10
The Better Chinatown Society's annual New Year's celebration is hosted in Sara D. Roosevelt Park with firecrackers, cultural performances, and much more. READ MORE

Family Art Project: Fan for Lunar New Year at Wave Hill

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday & Sunday, February 10 & 11
Celebrate the start of the Year of the Snake by learning about its role in the Chinese zodiac. Then, assemble and decorate a fan inspired by snakes in nature that call the Bronx home. READ MORE

Lunar New Year at CMOM

Upper West Side
Saturday, February 10-Sunday, February 18
Closed on Monday and Wednesday
CMOM celebrates the Year of the Dragon with fun arts and crafts. READ MORE

SOLD OUT - Annual Lunar New Year Celebration: Year of the Dragon

Flushing, Queens – FREE
Sunday, February 11
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with folk dances and traditional arts and crafts when the New York Chinese Cultural Center (NYCCC) brings its signature program to the Queens Museum.  READ MORE

Celebrate Lunar New Year

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, February 11
Brooklyn Children’s Museum ushers in the Year of the Dragon with storytelling from authors Michele Wong McSween and Yobe Qiu; live music, dance, and kung fu workshops with the New York Chinese Cultural Center; calligraphy workshops with artist Nelson Leung, and a rooftop lion dance parade led by the Chinatown Community Young Lions.  READ MORE

The Sound of Spring: Celebrate Year of the Dragon with the Orchestra Now

Upper West Side
Sunday, February 11
Now in its fifth year, The Sound of Spring is an authentic Chinese New Year concert featuring dramatic orchestral works and world-class Chinese instrument soloists. This year’s program presents a new selection of festive Chinese music to welcome the Lunar New Year, with solo performances by erhu virtuoso Zhang Haiyue and dizi virtuoso Feng Tianshi from the Central Conservatory of Music in China.   READ MORE

Lunar New Year Celebration at Atlantic Terminal Mall

Downtown Brooklyn – FREE
Tuesday, February 13
Atlantic Terminal and the New York Chinese Cultural Center team up to celebrate the Year of the Dragon with traditional Chinese and lion dance performances. READ MORE

Snug Harbor Chinese New Year Celebration

Snug Harbor, Staten Island
Saturday, February 17
Stop by Snug Harbor's Lunar New Year celebration for treats, tales, and traditional crafts. Wear red and gold and participate in storytelling, arts and crafts, performances, and snacks. READ MORE

Lunar New Year Family Festival - SOLD OUT

Chinatown
Saturday, February 17
Welcome the Year of the Dragon with an afternoon of legendary fun for the whole family at the Museum of Chinese in America. Enjoy a wide variety of live performances, family-friendly programming, New Year's treats, and arts and crafts.  READ MORE

Lunar New Year at The Seaport

South Street Seaport – FREE
Saturday, February 17
The Seaport is partnering with the New York Chinese Cultural Center to bring an intergenerational Lunar New Year celebration to life to mark the Year of the Wood Dragon. READ MORE

Lunar New Year at the Queens Botanical Garden

Flushing, Queens – FREE
Sunday, February 18
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon at the Queens Botanical Garden with lion dance performances, a zodiac-themed craft, storytelling, and more. READ MORE

Lunar New Year Celebration

Snug Harbor, Staten Island
Tuesday, February 20
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with artists from Chinese Theatre Works. Grab a ribbon or a percussive instrument, or just enjoy the spectacle during this event at the Staten Island Children's Museum. READ MORE

Lunar New Year at the Brooklyn Public Library

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, February 24
The world-renowned Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company visits the Brooklyn Public Library's Central Branch for a fantastic Lunar New Year celebration that includes the famous lion dance, the company's signature ribbon dance and fan dance, and the amazing Peking Opera acrobatics of the long spear dance.  READ MORE

26th Annual New York City Lunar New Year Parade & Festival in Chinatown

Chinatown – FREE
Sunday, February 25
In years past, a half-million spectators have lined the streets of Chinatown for this colorful pan-Asian procession, which includes Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Malaysian, and even Hispanic floats and cultural performances.  READ MORE

Red Firecrackers at Flushing Town Hall

Flushing, Queens
Sunday, February 25
The Nai Ni Chen Dance Company presents Red Firecrackers, a spectacular production of dazzling props, colorful costumes, mesmerizing music, fantastic acrobatics, and lively dance by top-notch performers telling the story of the origin of the Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Gardens
Brooklyn Central Library - Dweck Center