Lunar New Year is right around the corner and will take place on Saturday, February 10. The spring festival will celebrate the beginning of a new year according to the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar, marking the start of the Year of the Dragon (a time of opportunity). Celebrations usually include feasting and traditions that symbolize prosperity and abundance.
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Thanks to its thriving East Asian population, New York City will host an abundance of ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Think lion dances, parades, firecrackers and, of course, delicious food. We’ve rounded up the best ways to honor the occasion, whether you’re craving an elevated celebratory meal or a parade full of dancing dragons and stunning clothing.
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53 W 53rd St. / 646.535.3994 / Website
This popular Midtown restaurant known for its authentic Asian cuisine is known to throw a huge Lunar New Year bash, complete with a family-style prix fixe dinner of specials and 53 favorites, live entertainment, a take-home gift for each guest and more. Last year's menu offerings include a duck pie tee with chipotle mayo and cilantro, a diver scallop with xo sauce and a choice of clay pot or wok. Keep an eye on their website for information about the upcoming celebrations, and learn more about 53 here.
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4350 Main St. / 718.886.3800 / Website
The Queens Botanical Garden is hosting a family-friendly community celebration on February 18. Each year, the botanical gardens host wonderful Lunar New Year celebrations, and we expect this year to be no different as we ring in the year of the dragon!
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137-35 Northern Blvd. / 718.463.7700 / Website
Taking place on February 10, Flushing Town Hall will be hosting a "Meet the Green Dragon" family coloring workshop. Artist Stephanie S. Lee will guide the workshop as guests draw dragons inspired by Korean folk art on traditional Hanji paper. Tickets will be $10 for adults and $7 for children.
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On February 25 at 1PM, the 25th annual Lunar New Year Parade & Festival will take place along the following route: Mott & Canal to Chatham Square to East Broadway towards the Manhattan Bridge, completing on Eldridge and Forsyth Streets towards Grand Street next to Sara D. Roosevelt Park. Expect to find stunningly elaborate outfits, beautiful dragon dancing, martial arts performances and more.
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215 Centre St. / 212.619.4785 / Website
The whole family is welcome to celebrate at the Museum of Chinese in America’s festival on February 17 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets will be $5 per person will kids under 2 free. Keep an eye on their website for the full schedule and to RSVP soon!
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1000 Fifth Ave. / 212.535.7710 / Website
Performances, interactive activities and artist-led workshops will all be happening at The Met as part of the museum’s Lunar New Year celebrations on February 3.
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Wu Tsai Theater, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, 212.875.5656 / Website
On February 20, the world premiere of Eliot Leung's "Lunar Overture" will take place as part of the New York Philharmonic's Lunar New Year celebrations. Be sure to attend the Lunar New Year Gala for a cocktail reception and elegant dinner with the artists on the Leon and Norma Hess Grand Promenade.
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75 9th Ave. / 212.652.2111 / Website
Chelsea Market’s annual Lunar New Year celebration promises to be as delicious as ever, with the market hosting a food-filled celebration each year. Keep an eye on their website for more information!
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Mulitple locations / Website
Long touted as the best soup dumplings in New York, Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao has two NYC locations located in Koreatown and Flushing. Both serve the restaurant’s world-famous favorites, such as the iconic crab and pork soup dumplings and the crispy pan-fried pork buns, steamed buns, Shanghainese dim sum, fried noodles, fried rice cakes, scallion pancakes and steamed chicken soup. The interiors are inspired by traditional decoration elements from Nan Xiang, a thousand-year-old mountainside town in Shanghai, making this the perfect spot for a Lunar New Year celebration.
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1 Center St., Newark, NJ / 888.466.5722 / Website
Combining both traditional Chinese dance with modern flair, the company will embrace the spirit of the dragon. Dancers, acrobats and musicians will don red and gold costumes while the Golden Dragon will bring good luck and fortune for the coming year. There will be performances at 2 p.m. on February 10 and February 11.
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Sara D. Roosevelt Park will be cleansed of any unfriendly ghosts on February 10 with the lighting of hundreds of thousands of firecrackers. Expect to also find lion dances and decorations giveaways, food booths and craft vendors.
A time as exciting as the Year of the Dragon deserves a celebration, so whether you choose to enjoy a good meal, attend a parade or just spend time with family and friends, we wish you a very happy Lunar New Year!
Photography by: wellsie82 / Getty Images
