The Lunar New Year is one of the most important annual celebrations held across a wide breadth of Asian cultures. While traditions vary according to specific region, these festivities all generally aim to celebrate the start of a new and prosperous year on the lunar calendar. From dragon dancing to lantern lighting, there are nearly endless ways to immerse yourself in these unique cultures and join in the festivities here in the Bay Area. Here’s just a sampling.
Fremont Lunar New Year Celebration: Postponed due to weather. New date is noon to 4 p.m. Jan. 28. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 14, 3500 Capitol Ave., Fremont. Bring your family and friends to Fremont’s Downtown Event Center and celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with Chinese performances by Dragon Rhythm Shaolin Kung Fu, music by The Eternity Band, food trucks, vendors, craft activities and a fabulously fun kids corner. Free admission. fremont.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation/events/lunar-new-year
San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade: Jan. 14 to Mar. 5, various locations in San Francisco. Festivities include the Flower Market Fair (Jan. 14-15, Chinatown), Chinese New Year Celebration and Choy Sun Doe (Jan. 22, Chinatown), a Chinese New Year Parade (Feb. 4, location tba) with floats, ferocious lions, firecrackers and a 288-foot long Golden Dragon, and a Community Street Fair (Feb. 4-5, Chinatown) with Chinese folk dancing, opera, drumming and more. Free admission. chineseparade.com/
Lucky Lunar New Year at Westlake: 3 to 5 p.m. Jan. 20, Westlake Shopping Center, Daly City. Westlake welcomes the Year of the Rabbit with a fun-filled Lucky Lunar New Year celebration featuring traditional lion dancers, a Chinese drum troupe, a rabbit mascot, JoJo the calligrapher, a balloon twister and a creative Lunar New Year photo backdrop. Free admission. westlake.shopkimco.com/events/lucky-lunar-new-year-celebration-/2358/view
Lunar New Year Festival at San Jose History Park: Jan. 20-22, 635 Phelan Ave., San Jose. Celebrate the Lunar New Year at San Jose History Park, where festivities will include lion dancing, martial arts, karaoke, calligraphy, games, face painting, photo booths, a Flower Market and, of course, amazing food and drink vendors. Free admission. eventbrite.com/e/san-jose-2023-lunar-new-year-festival-tickets-510407110407
Lunar New Year Celebration at Bankhead Plaza: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 21, 2400 First St., Livermore. Join Livermore Valley Arts and Las Positas College in partnership with Xiaopei Chinese Dance, KungFu Dragon USA, Shanmukha Theaters and Zitheras Academy to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The festivities include performances and demonstrations from Xiaopei Chinese Dance, Chinese flute, Guzheng (zither), and Kung Fu Dragon, plus food, crafts and other activities. Free admission. livermorearts.org/events/lunar-new-year-celebration-2/
Lunar New Year at the San Jose Museum of Art: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 21, 110 S. Market St., San Jose. Join SJMA and welcome the year of the Rabbit — or in Vietnam, the year of the Cat — with artmaking activities, cultural demonstrations and live performances. This contemporary celebration honors Lunar New Year traditions around the globe and here in San José. Free admission. sjmusart.org/event/cd-lny-2023
Lunar New Year at Jack London Square: 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 21, Jack London Square, Oakland. This fun-filled Year of the Rabbit event will feature lion dancers, martial arts performances, kids crafts, selfie opportunities and fun giveaways. Free admission. visitoakland.com/event/lunar-new-year-celebrations-2023-at-jack-london-square/29524/
Lunar New Year at Thrive City: 4 to 7 p.m. Jan. 21, 1725 Third St., San Francisco. Ring in the Year of the Rabbit with fun festivities, culinary delights and cultural performances at the Golden State Warriors’ Thrive City. Join a multicultural celebration that includes special dance and drum performances, a new rabbit statue and petting zoo, arts and crafts, balloon artists and mesmerizingly festive décor. Free admission. chasecenter.com/thrivecity/events/lunar-new-year-celebration-20230121
Bay Area ZGZG Chinese New Year Gala: 7 p.m. Jan. 21, Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose. This traditional Chinese New Year Gala, also known as “Chunwan”, features a variety show that includes song, dance, comedy acts and a magic show during this 2½-hour show. $15-$65. sanjosetheaters.org/event/the-2023-bay-area-zgzg-chinese-new-year-gala/
Lunar New Year Music and Arts: 1:30 to 3 p.m. Jan. 22, 575 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale. Ring in the Lunar New Year at the Silicon Valley Conservatory of Music with an afternoon of musical storytelling and singing, spring couplets, lanterns and a red envelopes celebration. $10-$25. eventbrite.com/e/lunar-new-year-music-arts-2023-tickets-487332443457
San Ramon Lunar New Year Celebration: 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 22, City Center Bishop Ranch, 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon. Enjoy this day of lively events featuring Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese dancers, a kung fu demonstration and ever-popular lion dancers. You might also want to make a note to wear a bit of red to complement the pics you’ll be taking at the New Year’s themed selfie station. Free admission. bit.ly/3VSDSaV
Lunar New Year at Frog Hall: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 23, 3835 Mission St., San Francisco. Like the explorers of old, your child will go on an adventure in San Francisco’s wild places with our experienced naturalists. Meet the animal ambassadors at Frog Hall before setting out on an expedition. $136. activekids.com/san-francisco-ca/camp/lunar-new-year-frog-hall-2023
San Jose Lunar New Year -Tet & Moon Festival: Jan. 27-29, Eastridge Center, 2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose. UStar Productions’ Vietnamese Lunar New Year-Tet Festival includes live music, lion dancers, talent and beauty contests, a fashion show, a magic show and carnival rides and games, plus a wide array of food, drink and merchandise vendors. Free admission. facebook.com/UStarProductions/
Lunar New Year Planting at Redwood Grove: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Jan. 28, Redwood Grove Nature Preserve, 482 University Ave., Los Altos. Celebrate Lunar New Year at a small redwood forest habitat, where we will install native plants and share gratitude for old roots. Free. eventbrite.com/e/volunteer-outdoors-in-los-altos-lunar-new-year-planting-at-redwood-grove-registration-479494158937
Lunar New Year at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 28, 1835 W. Steele Lane, Santa Rosa. This special event will feature traditional Chinese Dancers, including child participation with Lion and Dragon Dances. Expand your knowledge of calligraphy, traditional paper cutting and adventures in the Chinese Zodiac. The Museum of Sonoma County will also host a storytelling booth, including a history of Chinatown in Santa Rosa. $16. cmosc.org/event/lunar-new-year/
Santana Row Lunar New Year Celebration: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 28, Santana Row Park, San Jose. Santana Row welcomes the year of the Rabbit with a Lunar New Year celebration for the entire family. Enjoy the exciting drumbeats and crashing cymbals of the Dragon and Lion dances and other live entertainment and cultural performances on the outdoor stage. There will also be arts and crafts, surprise red envelopes and a photo contest. Free admission. santanarow.com/experience/santana-row-lunar-new-year-celebration
Lunar New Year Music Concert: 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 28, Clarion Performing Arts Center, 2 Waverly Place, San Francisco. Celebrate the Lunar New Year with poetry, dancing, a tea ceremony and a beautiful Chinese guqin music concert. Guqin is a Chinese 7-string zither, a spiritual and meditative instrument often used to accompany poets, with a history dating back 3000 years. $10. theclarionsf.org/events/lunar-new-year-music-concert
Lunar New Year Dragon Boat Experience: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 29, 1 Seawall Drive, Berkeley. Festivities begin at the Berkeley Marina with a traditional Lion Dance, followed by demonstrations of traditional holiday cooking, music and song, and poster exhibits about ancient Chinese maritime commerce and technology. The star of the event, however, is the dragon boat. Embark on these unique vessels, fully functional replicas of the craft that plied China’s 27,000 miles of navigable rivers for thousands of years. Free admission. eventbrite.com/e/celebrate-the-chinese-lunar-year-2023-with-a-dragon-boat-experience-tickets-476939668387
Millbrae Lunar New Year Festival: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 29, 300 Broadway, Millbrae. Celebrate the Lunar New Year in downtown Millbrae, where stage performances include dragon and lion dance, traditional dance performances and Chinese martial arts. Then browse more than 30 food carts and 50 arts, crafts, and merchandise stalls. Free admission. eventbrite.com/e/2023-millbrae-lunar-new-year-festival-tickets-444746477687
Hakone Lunar New Year Festival: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 29, 21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. The Chinese celebration of Lunar New Year at Hakone Estate and Gardens will feature Chinese and lion dancing, tai chi, a Chinese costume fashion show, a music ensemble, calligraphy, an arts and crafts corner and games for children, plus a variety of food and drink vendors. $8-$12. eventbrite.com/e/15th-annual-hakone-lunar-new-year-festival-the-year-of-the-rabbit-tickets-490727076897
Lunar X – A Lunar New Year Art Exhibition: 12 to 3 p.m. Jan. 29, Tea Lyfe Saratoga, 14554 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. Lunar X returns for its sixth annual art exhibition to celebrate the Lunar New Year, including an art exhibition, live entertainment, a marketplace and food and drink vendors. Free admission. eventbrite.com/e/lunar-x-2023-a-lunar-new-year-art-exhibition-tea-lyfe-saratoga-tickets-500989672597
Lunar New Year at OMCA: 12 to 4 p.m. Jan. 29, Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. Gather on OMCA’s campus to ring in the Year of the Rabbit together with activities including story time with author Oliver Chin and Oakland Public Library, an entrancing performance by the Toishan Benevolent Association Lion Dancers, live music by the Gamelan Sekar Jaya and award-winning Vân-Ánh Võ, plus take-home art activities, food truck bites and more. $0-$10. museumca.org/event/lunar-new-year-at-omca-year-of-the-rabbit/
Lunar New Year Celebration at USF: 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Jan. 31, Gleeson Library Plaza, 2495 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco. Join the Center for Asia Pacific Studies and other Asia-focused programs on campus for music, prizes, food and a traditional lion dance performance by Leung’s White Crane Association. Free admission. myusf.usfca.edu/event/2023-01-31/lunar-new-year-celebration
Lunar New Year at Children’s Discovery Museum: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 4, 180 Woz Way, San Jose. Kick off the Year of the Rabbit at this celebration that brings together Chinese and Vietnamese traditions. Create your own branch of beautiful flowers to symbolize health, prosperity and good fortune in the coming year, and enjoy the ever-popular Lion Dance by Yun Yee Tong USA. $0-$15. cdm.org/event/lunar-new-year-2023/?instance_id=9178
Laurel Lunar New Year Celebration: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 4, RE/MAX, 4232 MacArthur Blvd.,
Oakland. This Laurel tradition returns with a dance procession led by Sifu “Master” Lacy of the Buk Sing Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu Academy of Fremont, unleashing two amazing Lions accompanied by drummers, firecrackers, and offerings to bring luck and welcome the Year of the Rabbit. Businesses will be “blessed” by the Lions for a year of good luck! Free admission. laureldistrictassociation.org/
Lunar New Year x Black History Month – A Celebration of Black & Asian Solidarity: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 4, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 Ninth St., Oakland. Join in a community celebration to strengthen, heal and empower AAPI and Black communities. This event will spotlight musicians, dancers, storytellers and other performers who celebrate Black and AAPI arts and culture in Oakland. Free admission. oacc.cc/event/lnyxbhm/
Redwood City Lunar New Year Celebration: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 4, Courthouse Square,
2200 Broadway St., Redwood City. The city’s 12th Annual Lunar New Year celebration includes lion dancers, martial artists, taiko drummers and other live performers — plus complimentary admission to the San Mateo County History Museum. Free admission. redwoodcity.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/62853/2055
Lunar New Year at the San Francisco Symphony: 5 p.m. Feb. 5, 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Welcome the Year of the Rabbit with the San Francisco Symphony at this vibrant Lunar New Year concert which draws upon Asian traditions, past and present, in a celebration of music and community. $35-$85. sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2022-23/LNY-Year-of-the-Rabbit
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