The best places to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the U.S.

Without a doubt, San Francisco has the biggest and the most vibrant Chinatown of any city in the U.S. and consequently offers the best Lunar New Year party in the country. Celebrations have been taking place here since the 1860s! The Chinese New Year Parade is one of the few remaining illuminated night parades in North America, the biggest parade for this event outside of Asia, and was named one of the top 10 parades in the world by the International Festivals & Events Association. That’s a lot of kudos! The parade will next be held on February 24, 2024.

Second only in size and scope to San Francisco, the biggest and best offering on the East Coast can be found in Manhattan in New York City. That said, you'll more than likely be able to find a ton of other Lunar New Year celebrations happening throughout NYC and Jersey City areas. Chinatown is located in the best part of town, Lower Manhattan, and the event has an incredible street party vibe, with performance artists and vendors helping keep everyone warm and energized. Another good spot will be in Queens, where a large Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese community resides.

New as of 2024? Lunar New Year will be an official holiday in Boston starting February 10, 2024. As of this writing, the annual parade will take place on February 18, 2024, beginning at Phillips Square at 10am and finishing by 3pm; date to be confirmed later since extreme weather can cause last-minute changes. The parade routes wrap around Chinatown, most of which becomes a pedestrian-only area to make way for the festivities. Also, watch for multiple lion dances all over town, as well as other events held at the Chinese New Year Cultural Village inside the China Trade Center, such as performances, craft-making and traditional snack sampling.

Things ramp up from February 17 to 18, 2024, for the Year of the Dragon Lunar New Year celebration in Houston, held at the Viet Hoa Center. Enjoy 100 lions and dragons, 1 million lucky red firecrackers, martial arts demonstrations, red envelope ceremonies, and dancing, including, of course, the lion dancers we all love to watch and other traditional dancers. Admission is free, and save time to indulge in nearby dim sum or bubble tea restaurants afterward.

Although dates aren’t released yet, California Adventure will again host Lunar New Year festivities, including Mulan’s parade, Hurry Home nighttime water show, Mickey and Minnie Mouse in colorful New Year attire, and menus, merchandise and crafts all themed to this special time of year. At the Lucky Wishes Wall at Paradise Gardens, you’ll walk beneath ornamental lanterns and write down your wish for next year’s luck! All this is free to park visitors...as you'd expect after mortgaging your home for park tickets.

Mark your calendar for February 24, 2024, for Spokane’s third annual Lunar New Year and ANHPI Business EXPO. Organized by Spokane United We Stand, the festivities include performances, cultural exhibits, vendors, red envelopes and even fireworks at 7 pm. Held in the Spokane Convention Center, the event should draw a ton of people; last year, more than 20,000 attended. More details will be released as the time draws closer.

Ring in the Lunar New Year in the Windy City! This year, Chicago welcomes the Year of the Dragon with a parade on February 18, 2024. It begins at 1pm at the intersection of 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue and moves north towards the viewing stand at Cermak and Wentworth, ending around 3pm. Stand along the parade route to see the traditional dragon and lion dancing teams, impressive floats, marching bands and other groups. Public transportation and ride-sharing is encouraged as the area will be (happily) congested.

Details for 2024’s Lunar New Year are not yet posted, but if we can use last year’s festivities as an example, there will be events across the city hosted by libraries, museums and other establishments. Expect firecrackers, lion dances, feasting, dumpling making, red envelopes, and performances...and of course, a parade.

Enjoy the spectacle of the Lunar New Year Parade on February 3, 2024, leaving at 4:30pm from the Hawai’i state capitol lawn and passing through Hotel Street to Honolulu Chinatown. There’s also a Night in Chinatown Festival at Beretania Street and the historical A’ala Park. There will be plenty of cultural performances, foods to sample and family-friendly events.

The L.A. community celebrates 125 years of its celebrations with a Golden Dragon Parade on February 17, 2024. Expect crowds, with tens of thousands of people lining the five-block parade route to enjoy marching bands, lion dancers, kung fu performers, festive floats, and more. The parade usually lasts from 1 to 4 p.m. and is free, although you can purchase grandstand seating when the event gets closer.

This fun intermixing of the Lunar New Year with Eastern and Western music performed by the New Jersey Symphony takes place the night of February 3, 2024. This annual tradition was the brainchild of music director Xian Zhang and is a great way to ring in the new year. Rather than a parade, the action is onstage, perhaps better for a cold February evening!