Chinese New Year’s celebrations worldwide

The year of the Ox will soon be upon us. This year the Chinese Spring Festival, also know as Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year, starts on 26 January, but worldwide celebrations take place throughout January and February.

Personally, I will be celebrating this Chinese New Year’s Eve at home, but for the lucky travellers who’ll be out and about in January and February, here’s a short list of just some of the celebrations:

BEIJING:

The Spring Festival is very much a family affair in Beijing and the rest of China for that matter. So if you are travelling in China, the best way to experience the festival is with a Chinese family.

Apart from temple fairs such as the fair at the Temple of Earth you are unlikely to find many official public celebrations, but you should be able to see New Year’s decorations and hear lots of red firecrackers, in particular at the Drum and Bell Towers.

HELSINKI:

25 January, 14:00-18:00:  New Year’s Eve celebrations at Lasipalatsi square including lion and dragon dancers and fireworks.

Visit the City of Helsinki website for all details.

HONG KONG:

25 January: The New Year’s Eve Flower Market at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.

26 January, 20:00-21:30: The International Chinese New Year Night Parade with floats from around the world. The parade will also be available via webcast.

27 January, 20:00: The Chinese New Year Fireworks Display at Victoria Harbour between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Visit Discover Hong Kong for all the celebration details.

LONDON:

1 February: Dragon and lion dances, fireworks and performances from Chinese artists in Trafalgar Square (12:00-18:00), Chinatown, Shaftesbury Avenue and Leicester Square.

The Visit London and Chinatown websites have all the details.

NEW YORK:

26 January, 11:30 – 12: Chinatown Chinese New Year Cracker Show in Roosevelt Park.

1 February, 13:00: Chinatown Chinese New Year Parade starting at Mott Street and Hester Street.

All details available at Chinatown Online.

NEW ZEALAND:

6-8 February: The Auckland Lantern Festival in Albert Park.

You can find all the details on Newzealand.com.

14-15 February: Christchurch Chinese New Year Lantern Festival at Victoria Square.

Newzealand.com has all the details.

PARIS:

1 February, 13:30-17:30:  Chinese New Year Parade starting at rue du Disque.

All details available in French at Chine Informations.

SAN FRANCISCO:

San Francisco’s Spring Festival celebrations run from the beginning of January till mid-February and include the Chinese New Year Flower Fair and the Chinese New Year Parade (7 February, 17:30-20:00).

The San Francisco Chinatown website has all the details.

SINGAPORE:

Singapore celebrates the Spring Festival from 3 January – 15 February. The celebrations include stage shows, light displays and the famous Chingay Parade on 30-31 January.

The Visit Singapore website has the details.

SYDNEY:

The celebrations in Sydney run from 23 Jan – 15 February and include:

23 January, 18:00- 20:00: Launch Celebrations in Belmore Park.

23-25 January: Chinese New Year Markets in Belmore Park.

1 February, 19:45 – 21:30: Chinese New Year Twilight Parade from Town Hall to Chinatown.

7-8 February, 8:00-17:00: Dragon Boat Races at Darling Harbour.

All details for the Sydney celebrations can be found at the City of Sydney website.

KNOW OF ANY OTHER CELEBRATIONS?

The above cities are of course just a few of the many cities that celebrate the Chinese New Year. Feel free to add the details of any other celebrations you know of in the comment box below.

Should anyone in southern England fancy a game of mah-jong on New Year’s Eve, do drop me a line via our contact page.

The dates and times listed above were correct at the time of writing, but will not be updated. So if you plan to attend any of the celebrations, please make sure you check the official websites for up to date information.

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TAGS: Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, Spring Festival, travel