13 ideas to celebrate Lunar New Year in New York City

Yes, we just had a new year celebration – but why let the calendar year have all the fun? Lunar New Year is fast approaching, falling on Jan. 29 this year.

The holiday has been a big part of East Asian cultures for centuries. Over the past 25 years it’s also become an integral part of New York City culture, and now an official public school holiday across the state.

Jan. 29 ushers in the Year of the Snake (the Wood Snake, to be specific). Here are some of the best ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year around the city:

Kick off the new year with a firecracker ceremony, then end it with a parade

Manhattan’s Chinatown is the hub of many official Lunar New Year celebrations, including the iconic firecracker ceremony at Sara D. Roosevelt Park. This year, it takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 29 starting at 11 a.m. A cultural festival accompanies the ceremony, which is followed more than two weeks later by the new year parade and festival on Sunday, Feb. 16. Festival booths open at 11:30 a.m., and the parade starts at 1 p.m.

Go see the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company dance the days away

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company describes its approach as a "unique interpretation of traditional Asian movement fused with cutting-edge modern choreography." The company performs all over the city during the Lunar New Year season, including at Flushing’s Kupferberg Center for the Arts on Saturday, Jan. 25 and Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. Tickets start at $20. If you’re looking for something a little more high-end (i.e. expensive), Nai-Ni Chen will also put on a Lunar New Year Gala at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music near Hudson Yards. That’s happening Wednesday, Jan. 29, and tickets start at $250.

Head to Oculus at 1 World Trade for weeks of festivities

From Jan. 28-30, you can head to 1 World Trade to see special lightings of the skyscraper’s spire and the Oculus transit hub. Then, from Jan. 29 through Feb. 12, you can see a 150-foot-long snake on the Oculus floor, a custom installation to celebrate the Year of the Snake. To close out the Lunar New Year celebrations on a healthy note, there will be a free yoga session followed by a lantern-lighting ceremony at 1 World Trade. An RSVP is recommended if you want to participate in yoga.

Hang with art at the Brooklyn Museum

When you purchase admission to the Brooklyn Museum on Sunday, Jan. 26, you get access to the annual Sunday Art Hang that celebrates the Lunar New Year. From 2 to 4 p.m., you can create art inspired by the museum’s collection, and at 3 p.m., the Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club will put on a lion dance. It’s a family-friendly event, so you can bring everyone.

Learn calligraphy at the Seaport

South Street Seaport will host a day of Lunar New Year celebrations on Saturday, Feb. 1, starting with two separate lion dance performances at noon and 1 p.m. Then, every hour from 2 through 4 p.m., the South Street Seaport Museum hosts a free calligraphy workshop. They’re designed for kids aged 7-12, but anyone can join, so don’t feel embarrassed if you’re in your mid-30s and want to learn calligraphy with a bunch of kids. And anyone is welcome to create their own nautical Chinese lion chains at the museum throughout the day. The best part is it’s all free.

Party all night long in Brooklyn

If parades and calligraphy don’t float your boat, perhaps you’d like to head to Bushwick for a night of partying and DJs at Elsewhere. Bubble_T presents a Year of the Snake show at the Brooklyn nightclub on Saturday, Jan. 25, starting at 11 p.m. It’s a full-venue event, and you’ll be able to catch DJs like Kim Anh and Ly Tran, as well as the Golden Twins Lion Dancers. Tickets start at around $42.

Spend a day with the family at Lincoln Center

On Saturday, Feb. 1, Lincoln Center will host a daylong family-friendly party, for free. Doors open at 10 a.m., and there will be arts and crafts, plus step-and-repeat photo stations throughout David Geffen Hall. The day also features storytime, a DJ, traditional Korean music — and, of course, a lion dance to wrap things up at 2 p.m.

Check out a Chinese New Year’s festival on Staten Island

If you like puppets, this is your event. Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden is putting on a Chinese New Year Festival, complete with two separate puppet shows, on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attendees can also enjoy puppet workshops and other arts, crafts and cultural activities.Tickets are $14.

Take in the sights at Queens Botanical Garden

On Saturday, February 8 from noon to 4 p.m., Queens Botanical Garden will host its own version of a Lunar New Year festival, right in the backyard of New York’s biggest Chinatown (Flushing). It’s free (though a $5 donation is suggested), and guests will get to enjoy tai chi, kung fu and face-changing, along with crafts and stories for families. Of course, there will be the requisite lion dance.

Enjoy deals, arts, family-friendly activities and more for a month in Long Island City

Did you know that Long Island City, just across the East River from Midtown, is home to New York City’s fastest-growing Asian community? Now you do. For the fourth straight year, the Long Island City Partnership is putting on a monthlong celebration of Lunar New Year, from Jan. 24 through Feb. 23. You can expect food and drink events at the neighborhood’s restaurants, lucky red envelope promotions, and arts and crafts activities for the whole family. Check back at the partnership's for an updated list of the planned activities.

Celebrate at Think! Chinatown events

Think! Chinatown has a robust lineup of events planned for Lunar New Year, starting with the kickoff celebration at the Met on Saturday, Jan. 25, which will feature papercut decorations and a giant lantern. Other highlights include a lantern celebration on Saturday, Feb. 8, and a mahjong party to wrap things up on Feb. 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. RSVP to make sure you get a seat at the table.

A scene from a previous year's Lunar New Year Parade in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Enjoy dance performances at the International Youth Fellowship’s New Year Festival

Entirely put on by youth volunteers, the International Youth Fellowship’s New Year Festival is happening Saturday, Jan. 25 from 2 to 5 p.m. at I.S. 96 in Bensonhurst. You’ll get to see the Memphis Belle dance team along with other talented youth performers. Tickets are $20 for reserved seats – which are the only kind of tickets left, so make sure you get yours soon.

Support Chinatown businesses during “From Chinatown, With Love”

The Abrons Art Center teams up with the W.O.W. Project to celebrate small businesses in Chinatown and fight against gentrification. Artists A Liang Chan, Mischelle Moy, Jia Sung, Stefanie Tam, Rose Wong, and Fiona Ye have created custom red envelopes for “From Chinatown, With Love,” which will go to anyone who spends at least $35 at 25 participating businesses. You can also check out an exhibition related to the project at Abrons Art Center. The whole project is going on now through Feb. 5.