The Best Lunar New Year Celebrations To Discover Around Melbourne

Visit the historic Chinatown, and celebrate at the Chinese Lunar New Year Festival. Look forward to lion and dragon dances, live performances, a cultural parade, family activities and bustling food and market stalls. The festivities will take place on Sunday February 22. Learn more here.

Stroll down Alfrieda Street and take in the sights and sounds of the annual St Albans Lunar Festival. Have fun with rides and games, see cultural performances, explore the market stalls and enjoy delicious food and drink. The festivities will end with a cracking fireworks display. Check it out from 10am to 10pm on Sunday January 18. Find out more.

Welcome the Year of the Horse at the East Meets West Lunar New Year Festival. Head to the heart of Footscray and enjoy traditional and contemporary performances, lion and dragon dances, market stalls, tasty food and family-friendly activities. It’s on from 10am to 9pm on Sunday January 25. More info here.

NGV is welcoming the Year of the Horse with music, food and more. Take part in creative activities, see a Beijing opera performance, play a game of Mahjong and see the dragon dance. There will be talks and tours, and if you’re hungry, you can purchase dumplings, sweet buns and bubble tea in the Great Hall. Entry is free, and the Lunar New Year festivities will run from 10am to 5pm on Sunday February 22.

QV Melbourne will have a few different things going on for Lunar New Year. From February 16 to March 1, there will be a noodle bar installation in the open-air square. Step inside a noodle box, and see a takeaway-menu-inspired story of traditional Lunar New Year dishes and their symbolic meanings. See immersive photo walls, scan the QR code and watch the dishes come to life with AR animation. The Happy Horse Noodle Bar will open daily from 10am to 10pm.

There will also be traditional lion and dragon dances, martial arts performances and cultural displays on February 16, 17, 21 and 22.

Old Beijing will stage their own lion dances from the square into Artemis Lane, and serve a luxurious banquet in their restaurant.

Dive into the action at the Victoria Street Lunar Festival in Richmond. Look forward to plenty of performances and entertainment throughout the day, including lion dances and firecrackers. Browse through over 50 stalls and feast on tasty street food like dumplings. If you’re got room for more, sign up to a Bánh Mì eating competition. The whole family will have fun with activities like face painting. The festival will take place on Sunday February 1 from 12pm to 10pm. See more here.

Jackson Court is transforming into a thriving space filled with lion dances, cultural performances, market stalls and family activities for the Manningham Chinese New Year Festival. The festivities will conclude with a fireworks display at 9:30pm. It’s all happening on Saturday February 7 from 10am to midnight. Learn more here.

Have an exciting day out at the Sunshine Lunar New Year Festival. Expect heaps of live entertainment, street performers, rides, face painting, lion and dragon dancing, firecrackers and more! It’s all happening from 12pm to 10pm on Sunday February 8. More info here.

Begin the New Year with a flower arranging workshop at the Chinese Museum. By creating these floral arrangements, you will welcome auspiciousness and pray for good fortunate, with symbolic components like tangerines for luck. This workshop will take place on Saturday February 14. See what else is on here.

Melbourne Museum will have a heap of fun programs to help usher in the Year of the Horse. Watch lion and dragon dances and feel mesmerised by a long ribbon fan dance. Then, visit the Phar Lap exhibit, and celebrate the 100th birthday of this famous horse. The museum will celebrate Lunar New Year on Saturday February 21, from 10am to 3pm. Learn more here.

There’s a few activities for to you try at the Immigration Museum in celebration of the New Year. Join a beginner-friendly ribbon fan dance workshop, and listen to a live guzheng performance. Decorate your own lantern to take home, and have fun with a bilingual story time, where Chinese fairytales will be brought to life in English and Mandarin. This is free to attend, and will take place on Sunday February 22. See more here.

Wander over to Commonwealth Reserve in Williamstown and listen to music. Hosted by local guzheng artist QiQi, you can expect live music and dance performances, as well as a visit from the god of wealth. Check it out on Sunday January 31 from 12pm to 3pm. See more here.

Back by popular demand, Dorsett Melbourne has once again teamed up with T6 Patisserie Melbourne to create a lovely high tea for Lunar New Year. Indulge in sweet and savoury delights such as mandarin & jasmine mousse, milk buns with char siu, sesame garlic chive prawn toast and mango pudding. Limited sessions are available on Saturday February 21 and Sunday February 22. This event starts at $90 per adult.

Queen Victoria Market will have a lion dance performance from 10am on Tuesday February 17. The market sheds along Queen Street will be lined with red lanterns, and you’ll find Lucky Cat displays outside the Meat & Fish Hall and in the centre of String Bean Alley. More info here.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is celebrating the season with a special performance. Listen to soloist Mindy Meng Wang play Butterfly Lover’s Concerto on the guzheng. Cellist Zlatomir Fung will make his MSO debut, and percussionist-turned-conductor Li Biao will lead the orchestra through the concert program. Check it out at Hamer Hall on Saturday February 21 at 7:30pm. See more here.

If you live in the east, you’ll definitely want to head to Box Hill for this free, community festival. Soak in the vibrant atmosphere with a giant street market, stacked with over 100 bustling stalls serving up street food, merch and community displays. Look forward to 14 hours of cultural performances, pop music and traditional arts no the main stage, and check out the lion and dragon dances. There will also be firecracker displays and thrilling fireworks displays at 9:30pm and midnight. The festival will take place on Saturday February 21. See more here.

The beloved Vietnamese TET Lunar Festival will return to the Eastern Lawn on Footscray Park. In this free event, you can expect cultural performances, food stalls, fireworks and more family-friendly activities. It’s on from 11am to 9pm on Saturday February 28 and Sunday March 1. See more here.

There’s a lot to look forward to at the Wyndham Multicultural Lunar Festival this year. Head to Point Cook Town Centre and see nearly 400 performers from over a dozen countries on stage. Enjoy lion dances, folk dances, martial arts, acrobatics and more. Browse through the market stalls and take part in cultural workshops. Check it out on Sunday March 1 from 11am to 7:30pm. See more here.