The best things to do for Chinese New Year

Celebrate Lunar New Year by shopping at Artists & Fleas Soho during this special pop-up market to benefit Charles B Wang Community Health Center. Scoop up artwork, apparel, jewelry, home decor and body care products from Asian American makers as well as products inspired by Asian culture. If you donate $25 or more to the charity, you'll get an invite to the closing reception, which includes refreshments, live music and a raffle ticket for a chance to win dope prizes.

Monthly dance party Bubble_T. hosts this all-ages night market at MoMA PS1, where you can enjoy eats and cocktails from vendors like Kichin and Win Son, explore exhibitions and pop-up installations and catch live performances from Nightspace, Sookie Sterling Phyllis Ma and more.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year all-day-long during this action-packed festival full of musical performances, shopping discounts from local stores and family entertainment from Madison Street to Madison Ave. Make sure to check out the lineup online—we imagine there will be plenty of lion dancers, calligraphy demos and traditional Chinese face-changing.

Throughout China, temples host festivals where locals can observe the national holiday. The Flushing Town Hall recreates this experience with its annual Temple Bazaar, where you can enjoy music, dance and martial arts performances. Munch on delicious foods from Shandong, China, and Taiwan, and learn crafts like paper cutting and calligraphy under the red paper lanterns.

Ring in the year of the Dog at Brookfield Place in partnership with the New York Chinese Culture Center. Get ready for energetic dance and music performances, as well as demonstrations of Chinese customs such as a martial arts demo and theatrical players in full traditional makeup-up and regalia. Guests of all ages should show up early: there will be a dynamic, colorful Lion Parade led by lion dances throughout the space before the show begins.

Unfriendly ghosts should steer clear of Sara D. Roosevelt Park on February 16 when the Better Chinatown Society lights 600,000 firecrackers to welcome the Year of the Dog and ward off evil spirits. In addition to the pyrotechnics, there will be lion dances and decorations giveaways, plus craft vendors and food booths where you can get your fill of traditional delicacies. It’s said that the more dumplings you eat at the celebration, the more money you’ll make in the year ahead. Grand St at Forsyth St.

This annual jaunt travels through Queens’ Chinatown, which rivals Manhattan’s in population, and whose Lunar New Year parade is actually three years older than the similar event in that other borough. Check out traditional Chinese performances, like the dragon dance, with many performers in a long dragon costume mimicking the mythical creature’s movements. The parade kicks off with an opening reception at Historic St. Geroge's Church (9:30–10:30am), during which you can warm up with hot coffee, load up on baked goods and then head to the parade at Union Street and 37th Avenue. 

The New York Philharmonic is known for its exceptional New Year’s Concert and, for a seventh year, the renowned symphony kicks the Lunar New Year into high gear as well. In the past, the special Chinese New Year Gala Concert featured Puccini’s Turandot as well as Chinese folk songs such as “Jasmine Flower” and a new trumpet concerto, Joie Éternelle.

During one of the best NYC events in January, Chinatown, NYC is stormed by dragons and dancers, while some of the best Chinese restaurants serve delicious food in celebration of the Lunar New Year. But before you get lost in the bang of firecrackers, check out some fun things to do in the neighborhood, including the best karaoke in Chinatown.