For those who follow the lunar calendar, February 12th is the first day of the new year—4719, if you're keeping track. Traditionally, New York City celebrates the Lunar New Year with multiple parades and festivals. But because of the pandemic, the city is ringing in the Year of the Ox with a handful of limited in-person events, as well as online parades, performances, workshops, and more.
Sadly the Lunar New Year firecracker ceremony and parade—that's to chase away evil spirits—won't be happening, but Better Chinatown organizer Steven Tin said they'll have confetti poppers, drums, and recordings of fireworks in Manhattan's Chinatown on Friday.
"Definitely we have the biggest evil of the century in COVID-19," Tin said. "Plus, we try to uplift the community. Let’s try to be happy about the holiday.”
Here's a list of events happening both in-person and online this weekend:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12th, 2021
CHINATOWN'S LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Manhattan
Head to the American Legion Kimlau Memorial Square to celebrate the first day of the Lunar New Year with a lion’s troupe dance and confetti display.
LUNAR ICE AT BROOKFIELD PLACE, Friday, 3 p.m.-8 p.m & Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Manhattan
Look out for ice sculptures inspired by the Lunar New Year on the Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place by Okamoto Studios on Friday evening and during the day on Saturday.
DANCE AND MUSIC PERFORMANCES AT BROOKFIELD PLACE, February 19th-March 14th, Manhattan
Every Friday and Sunday, Studio BFPL and New York Chinese Cultural Center will host live music and dance performances inside Brookfield Place celebrating Lunar New Year. A group of up to six people can register for up to 15-minute performances, and registration opens on the Monday before each show at 10 a.m. Dance performances are exclusively on Fridays from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. and music performances are reserved for Sundays from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
LUNAR NEW YEAR BAZAAR, 2 p.m., Virtual
Celebrate from the comfort of your home through Flushing Town Hall’s virtual event which will feature traditional folk dance, a new Chinese hand puppet performance, a paper-cutting demonstration, a Chinese comic crosstalk episode, and classic Lunar New Year dish demonstrations. RSVP for the event here.
LUNAR NEW YEAR FAMILY FESTIVAL, Virtual
The Museum of Chinese America is hosting a festival for all ages from Thursday, February 11th to Friday, February 19th with daily events. Participants can sign up for story time, author meet and greets, sugar painting, and more here.
STATEN ISLAND MUSEUM'S VIRTUAL KOREAN LUNAR NEW YEAR, Virtual
Celebrate Seollal or Korean Lunar New Year through the Staten Island Museum’s interactive guide through recipes, games, videos, and activities. Register here for the downloadable guide and while it’s free, there is a $5 recommended donation.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13th, 2021
LUNAR NEW YEAR AT THE GARDEN, Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Flushing, Queens
Stop by the Queens Botanical Garden this weekend and pick up a free activity craft kit and shop their plant sale in honor of the new year. Drop by anytime from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday and head to the V&A building to grab the DIY paper blossom branch.
LUNAR NEW YEAR AT CHELSEA MARKET, 12 p.m.-2 p.m., Chelsea, Manhattan
Go outdoor dining at Chelsea Market with a group of four and enjoy a Lunar New Year menu featuring noodles, baos, kimbap, dessert, and bubble tea in a private heated booth for $150. Tickets also include a performance by a renowned lion dance troupe, and are available for purchase here.
FAMILY DAY: ASIA SOCIETY'S VIRTUAL NEW YEAR CELEBRATION, 1 p.m.-3 p.m., Virtual
Join the Asia Society online this year for Lunar New Year performances and arts and crafts activities. At 1 p.m., the Chinese Theatre Works will perform a puppet show using animals from the Chinese zodiac, and viewers can download and print their own puppets. Afterward, there will be a musical performance, a dragon dance, and a kung fu demonstration.
CHINESE NEW YEAR FAMILY FESTIVAL, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Virtual
The China Institute is hosting a free virtual festival featuring a lion dance, puppet performance, and several workshops including dumpling making and lantern painting. Participants should register for every event they wish to attend, and gather materials or ingredients needed before the event.
LUNAR NEW YEAR AT THE MET MUSEUM, Virtual
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting a daylong festival with virtual performances, interactive activities, and artist-led workshops for children and adults. Some activities include designing a zodiac charm, creating a dazzling dragon puppet, and more. Most of the program is prerecorded and can be found on their Facebook and YouTube.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14th, 2021
SNUG HARBOR CHINESE NEW YORK CELEBRATION, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Virtual
Celebrate the Year of the Ox at home with activities from the Snug Harbor Cultural Center for both children and adults like crafts, storytelling, and calligraphy. The event which will display a virtual parade via Zoom has a $10 admission fee ($8 for Snug Harbor members) and comes with a package of celebratory decoration and materials to celebrate, which participants can pick up from the cultural center before Sunday. Tickets can be purchased here.
NEW YORK CHINESE CULTURAL CENTER’S LUNAR NEW YEAR VIRTUAL CELEBRATION, 11 a.m., Virtual
The New York Chinese Cultural Center is celebrating the Year of the Ox with a virtual program and performance including Chinese music and dances, kung fu, and multiple workshops. Register here for the performance, and choose an individual workshop here for access.
With additional reporting and writing from Katherine Fung
