Lunar New Year, the two-week-long festival that ushers in spring and new beginnings, starts on February 10 and runs until February 24. This year marks the Year of the Dragon, which is the fifth animal in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiacs and is said to possess the sharpest sense of self among all other zodiac signs. Ahead, find many ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year in New York City, from taking craft lessons from master artisans at the Chinese Institute in America’s family festival to attending Chinatown’s annual parade and firecracker celebration.
Image courtesy of The Shops at Hudson Yards
Lunar New Year at Hudson Yards
The Shops at Hudson Yards, 20 Hudson Yards
January 22 through February 12
Hudson Yards is celebrating the Year of the Dragon with free lion dances and ribbon-twirling performances, traditional decor, and lots of special deals and discounts at its stores and restaurants. Customers who spend $188 or more on one day inside Hudson Yards will receive a complimentary gift. You can get validated by showing your same-day receipts to the concierge desk on level one.
Visitors can catch the lion dances and ribbon-twirling performances, presented by the New York Chinese Cultural Center, every Saturday (1/27, 2/3, and 2/10), at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.
Image courtesy of Tsingtao
Toast to the Year of the Dragon with Tsingtao
January 30 through February 12
Tsingtao is collaborating with four critically acclaimed Chinese restaurants in NYC to create Tsingtao-infused culinary specials. From January 30 through February 12, sit down for a meal at Hutong, MáLà Project, Milu, and Hunan Slurp and enjoy beer-infused flavors and innovative dishes.
Take a look below at the limited-edition meals:
Hutong:
“Xingréng Pijiu” ($20): A creative beer cocktail combining Tsingtao with tomato juice, Maggi seasoning, and a blend of spices, served with a Tajin and ground Sichuan red peppercorn rim, garnished with a red chili pepper and dehydrated yuzu wheel.
“Qingfu Pijiu” ($18): A refreshing beer cocktail featuring Tsingtao with passion fruit purée, honey, yuzu, and a hint of Sichuan red peppercorn spice, garnished with a banana leaf and orchid flower.
Beef Tenderloin with Leeks ($48): A flavorful dish of pan-seared beef tenderloin and leeks, cooked with Tsingtao, ginger, scallions, and seasoning, finished with potato starch water and sesame oil.
Mala Beer Prawns ($42): Shrimp boiled with Tsingtao and tossed with ginger, scallions, peppers, Chinese celery, and Sichuan peppercorns, creating a bold and spicy flavor.
MáLà Project (all four locations):
White Jade ($18): A mix of Tsingtao Beer Syrup, white rum, spiced ginger tea, and lemon.
Chino Barrio ($18): A bold concoction of Tsingtao Beer, bourbon, bird-eye chili pepper, grenadine, pineapple, and lime.
Dragon Dance ($18): A celebration in a glass with Tsingtao Beer, rosemary Aperol, grapefruit, and honey.
Milu:
Tsingtao Marinated Chicken ($26): Half chicken marinated in Tsingtao, served with sesame garlic sweet potatoes, and rice. Available for dinner only.
Umeshandy ($8): A refreshing blend of Tsingtao beer with umeshu, sherry, and lime, rimmed with salted Sichuan pepper. Available for dinner only.
Hunan Slurp:
Beer Duck ($33): Duck braised in a rich sauce of chili pepper, ginger, and Tsingtao beer.
Platform by James Beard Foundation
Lunar New Year Dinner & Social
Pier 57, 25 11th Avenue, Chelsea
February 2 at 7 p.m.
On February 2, Zhan Chen, executive chef of Potluck Club, and Helen Nguyen, chef and owner of Saigon Social, are hosting an exclusive dinner at Platform by James Beard Foundation, a state-of-the-art show kitchen in Pier 57. Patrons will enjoy some of the chef’s favorite Lunar New Year meals, including coconut juice-braised pork belly, duck confit rice rolls, and more. You can learn more about the dinner here.
Celebrating the Year of the Dragon at the Met
The Met, 1000 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan
February 3 through January 2025.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is throwing an exciting family-friendly festival to honor the Year of the Dragon. The world-renowned museum is hosting live performances, interactive activities, artist-led workshops, and more. Highlights of the festival include a kick-off celebration by the Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute, a performance by the Sesame Street Muppeteers featuring Alan Muraoka, and a poetry reading by Yu and Me Books. All activities are free with museum admission, and no advanced registration is required. A full schedule of events can be found here.
The festival coincides with the opening of a new exhibition at the museum called “Celebrating the Year of the Dragon,” a curated selection of art that honors the most beloved animal in Chinese culture. The exhibition features a selection of more than 20 works from the museum’s permanent collection that depict the mythical creature in a variety of media, including ceramic, jade, lacquer, metalwork, and textiles.
The featured works illustrate the important role that the dragon has played as a symbol of imperial authority, a force that dispels evil, and a “benevolent deity that brings auspicious rain to all life on earth.” Highlights of the exhibition include a third-century BCE jade pendant of a spirited dragon with a sinuous body, a seventh-century bronze mirror with symbols of the four cardinal directions, and a giant 16th-century blue and white porcelain jar with dragons weaving through clouds and waves.
China Institute in America’s Lunar New Year Family Festival
China Institute in America, 40 Rector Street, Financial District
February 4 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
For their action-packed festival, the China Institute in America is flying out master artists from the Zhejiang province of China to provide an authentic, engaging, cultural experience for visitors.
The celebration will begin with a traditional lion dance, followed by a famous Taishun string puppet performance. Chinese artisans will lead Lunar New Year-themed stations and interactive workshops for participants of all ages, including Taizhou embroidery, rice dough sculpturing, Song-dynasty tea whisking and tasting, Nan-Song dynasty pottery sculpting, 3D sugar painting, New Year woodblock printing, and more.
The themed stations and workshops are available for visitors on a first-come-first-served basis. General admission for adults starts at $15 and can be purchased here.
Lunar New Year Book ‘Tasting’ at the Library
Harry Belafonte Library, 203 West 115th Street, Harlem
February 6 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Come and sample books at the New York Public Library’s Harry Belafonte Branch in Harlem, including cookbooks, history, arts & crafts, fiction, and more, celebrating the Lunar New Year around the world.
Chinese New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival
Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Chrystie Street and Forsyth Street, Chinatown
February 10 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Chinese New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival is returning to Chinatown’s Sara D. Roosevelt Park for its 26th year. During the festival, thousands of firecrackers are set ablaze to ward off evil spirits and welcome in the Year of the Dragon. The event will also feature live dance performances, food & drink vendors, giveaways, and more.
Lunar New Year at the Seaport
February 17
South Street Seaport, Manhattan
The Seaport is partnering with the New York Chinese Cultural Center and the South Street Seaport Museum for a day full of fun Lunar New Year festivities. Activities will take place throughout the day and include live lion dance performances, calligraphy, arts & crafts, and more to be announced.
MOCA Family Festival
Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, Chinatown
February 17 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Museum of Chinese in America is hosting an action-packed festival with attractions for the entire family. The festival kicks off with spring festival dances by the famous Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, who will dazzle the crowds with an innovative, hip-hop-infused lion dance, and a plethora of other activities.
Throughout the event, guests can try bite-sized Lunar Year treats, attend a meet & greet with authors Michele Wong McSween and Ms. Pauline, watch live demonstrations of noodle pulling and candy making, create arts & crafts, and more.
Tickets cost $5 and kids under two are free.
Photo courtesy of Explore Chinatown on Wikimedia
Chinese New Year Parade
Chinatown
February 25 at 1 p.m.
Chinatown’s annual Lunar Year Parade is returning to Lower Manhattan on February 25. Hosted by Better Chinatown, 2024’s parade celebrates the Year of the Dragon and features traditional dragon dancing, striking outfits, martial arts performers, food and drink vendors, and much more. The procession kicks off at the corner of Mott and Hester Streets before traveling down to Chatham Square. The parade then sets off across East Broadway and up Forsyth Street before ending at Sara D. Roosevelt Park.
Lunar New Year 2024: How to celebrate the Year of the Dragon in NYC
January 23, 2024