Hit one of the amazing beaches in NYC, by train, ferry, bike, or car. Photo by Sara Marentette
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Best Lunar New Year Celebrations in NYC for Families

The Better Chinatown Society hosts its annual Lunar New Year celebration on Sunday, January 22, in Sara D. Roosevelt Park with firecrackers, cultural performances, and more. Photo by Bob Dea
The Better Chinatown Society hosts its annual Lunar New Year celebration on Sunday, January 22, in Sara D. Roosevelt Park with firecrackers, cultural performances, and more. Photo by Bob Dea
1/10/23 - By Drew Kristofik

Lunar New Year is one of our favorite winter celebrations in New York City. In 2023, many museums, cultural institutions, and community groups are once again holding in-person celebrations to usher in the Year of the Rabbit, which officially starts on Sunday, January 22.

Although the holiday is often referred to as Chinese New Year, many Asian nations celebrate Lunar New Year, and city kids can mark this cultural holiday with family-friendly celebrations throughout the five boroughs, capped off with the massive parade through Chinatown on Sunday, February 12.

Plus, the holiday provides an awesome opportunity to get out and explore a new-to-you neighborhood, such as Koreatown and Chinatown in Manhattan, Flushing in Queens, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn.

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As always, click through to our listings for all the information including addresses, times, and recommended ages.

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Hao Bang-ah, Rabbit! introduces kids to traditional budaixi-style puppetry and live music in Queens. Photo courtesy of Flushing Town Hall
Hao Bang-ah, Rabbit! introduces kids to traditional budaixi-style puppetry and live music in Queens. Photo courtesy of Flushing Town Hall

Lunar New Year Celebrations in NYC for Families

MOCAKIDS Lunar New Year Meet & Greet

Chinatown–FREE
Saturday, January 14
Begin the Lunar New Year celebrations early with author Katrina Moore and illustrator Xindi Yan. Katrina reads their new book, Grumpy New Year, and then kids can stick around for an especially grumpy (but cute!) drawing activity with Xindi. READ MORE

Sunday Art: Lunar New Year Celebration

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, January 15
Visit the Brooklyn Museum's Beaux-Arts Court to create artwork inspired by the Lunar New Year. Then, enjoy a Lion Dance performance by the New York Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club. READ MORE

Tiger Tales With Chinese Theater Works

Flushing, Queens–FREE
Wednesday, January 18
Four linked tales, using a live storyteller and images based on antique Chinese leather shadow figures, trace Tiger’s sudden rise and disastrous fall and impart humorous lessons of survival for the small and powerless in today’s modern jungle. READ MORE

Celebrate The Year of the Rabbit with Ba Ban Chinese Music Society

Jamaica, Queens–FREE
Thursday, January 19
Ba Ban Chinese Music Society celebrates the Year of the Rabbit with festive music, dance, interactive New Year's traditions, and more. As the sounds of silk and bamboo tunes fill the air, red ribbons are tossed up and down to drumbeats to bring joy, good health, and prosperity in the year 2023. READ MORE

Lunar New Year Festival at the Met: Year of the Rabbit

Upper East Side
Saturday, January 21
May art bring you good fortune! Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, with performances, interactive activities, and artist-led workshops for all ages at The Met. READ MORE

Lunar New Year Family Festival – SOLD OUT

Chinatown–FREE
Saturday, January 21
It’s almost time to (兔) celebrate! Ring in the Year of the Rabbit with an afternoon of festivities for the whole family— hop, skip, or jump on over to the Museum of Chinese in the Americas! READ MORE

Global Architecture I: Picturesque Pagodas

Battery Park–FREE
Saturday, January 21
In honor of Chinese Lunar New Year, kids can learn about the work of Poy Gum Lee, a Chinese-American architect who designed buildings in both China and New York’s Chinatown. READ MORE

“Thump Thump” Rabbit Coloring Workshop

Flushing, Queens
Saturday, January 21
Artist Stephanie Lee guides children step by step toward a finished rabbit painting. The artwork is inspired by 19th-century Korean folk art depicting rabbits making medicine of immortality under a cinnamon tree during a full moon. READ MORE

Tribeca Language Lunar New Year Event

Tribeca
Saturday, January 21
During this Lunar New Year-themed class, students learn how to introduce themselves and say how they feel in Mandarin. They also learn the basics about the Lunar New Year including the Zodiac signs. Tribeca Language has designed a program full of fun and exciting activities: arts and crafts, music, story time, puppetry, etc. READ MORE

Family Art Project: Fan for Lunar New Year

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, January 21-Sunday, January 22
Celebrate the start of the Year of the Rabbit by learning about rabbits and their role in the Chinese zodiac. Then, assemble and decorate a fan inspired by these unique animals. READ MORE

Lunar New Year at the Seaport

South Street Seaport–FREE
Saturday, January 21-Sunday, January 22
The Seaport is partnering with the New York Chinese Cultural Center to bring an intergenerational Lunar New Year celebration to life in celebration of the Year of the Rabbit. READ MORE

Studio Sunday: Lunar New Year

Midtown West
Sunday, January 22
MAD artist-educator Jocelyn Yang shows families how to sculpt New Year’s rabbits and other animals from the Chinese zodiac using rice flour dough. READ MORE

Lunar New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival

Lower East Side–FREE
Sunday, January 22
The Better Chinatown Society's annual New Year's celebration is hosted in Sara D. Roosevelt Park with firecrackers, cultural performances, and much more. READ MORE

Lunar New Year – SOLD OUT

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, January 22
The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music celebrates the arrival of Lunar New Year with an afternoon of traditional and contemporary Chinese music, a performance of the lion dance, crafts, calligraphy, and more. Bring the family and enjoy a traditional Chinese celebration of the Year of the Rabbit! READ MORE

Lunar New Year Celebration at Atlantic Terminal Mall

Downtown Brooklyn–FREE
Wednesday, January 25
Atlantic Terminal and the New York Chinese Cultural Center team up to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with traditional Chinese and Lion Dance performances, a sugar painting demonstration + giveaway, festive music, raffles & more. READ MORE

Lunar New Year at the Queens Botanical Garden

Flushing, Queens–FREE
Saturday, January 28
Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit at the Queens Botanical Garden with lion dance performances, a zodiac-themed craft, storytelling, and Miffy, everyone's favorite bunny. READ MORE

Brooklyn Children’s Museum Lunar New Year Festival

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Saturday, January 28
Brooklyn Children’s Museum ushers in the Year of the Rabbit with story telling, live music, calligraphy workshops, kung fu lessons, and a rooftop lion dance parade led by the Chinatown Community Young Lions. READ MORE

Downtown Brooklyn Lunar New Year Celebration

Downtown Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, January 28
Ring in the Year of the Rabbit at Albee Square with a celebration featuring traditional lion dance performances by the Choy Lay Fut Lion Dance Team and AJ the DJ. READ MORE

Annual Lunar New Year Celebration: Year of the Rabbit

Flushing, Queens–FREE
Sunday, January 29
Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with folk dances and traditional arts and crafts when the New York Chinese Cultural Center (NYCCC) brings its signature program to the Queens Museum.  READ MORE

Lunar New Year Celebration

Upper West Side
Sunday, January 29
The New-York Historical Society teams up with the Vietnam Heritage Center for performances, red envelopes, and festive activities celebrating Lunar New Year. READ MORE

Chinese Theatre Works’ Hao Bang-ah, Rabbit

Flushing, Queens
Sunday, January 29
Chinese Theatre Works stages two family-friendly performances of Hao Bang-ah, Rabbit!, featuring traditional budaixi-style puppetry and live music. READ MORE

Lunar Zoo Year – Year of the Rabbit

Prospect Park, Brookyn
Wednesday, February 1
Celebrate the festival of the new moon and animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Learn about rabbits, an animal found around the world, and learn about the Wildlife Conservation Society’s efforts to save wildlife worldwide. READ MORE

Lunar New Year at Roosevelt Field

Garden City, Queens–FREE
Saturday, February 4
Experience the ancient art of Chinese paper cutting, along with balloon twisting & face painting entertainment in Macy's Court. READ MORE

Lunar New Year of the Water Rabbit

Flushing, Queens
Sunday, February 5
The world renowned Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company celebrates and welcomes the Lunar New Year of the Water Rabbit with majestic dragons, acrobatic lions, elegant peacocks, twirling ribbons, bamboo instruments, and more. READ MORE

Lunar New Year in Bryant Park

Midtown West–FREE
Sunday, February 5
Welcome the Year of the Rabbit and celebrate the Lunar New Year at Bryant Park! Families can craft their own drums and paper firecrackers, join a ribbon dancing class, and watch a lion dance and other traditional musical performances by the New York Chinese Cultural Center. READ MORE

25th Annual New York City Lunar New Year Parade & Festival

Chinatown–FREE
Sunday, February 12
In years past, a half-million spectators have lined the streets of Chinatown for this colorful pan-Asian procession, which includes Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Malaysian, and even Hispanic floats and cultural performances.  READ MORE

Losar Family Day: Celebrate the Year of the Water Hare

Chelsea–FREE
Sunday, February 26
Lunar New Year is a time for families! Learn about traditional Losar celebrations and this year’s zodiac animal, the kind and sensitive Water Hare. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Queens College

About the Author

Drew Kristofik

Drew Kristofik's early career editing teen magazines somehow morphed into a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a very long sojourn at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick online and then Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com local. She was a founding member of the WebbyAward winning GoCityKids, has written for Family Fun Magazine, Vanity Fair, and New York, and her novel for middle schoolers, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. She strives to keep the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar packed and accurate, and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.
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