Manhattan, New York, January 28, 2023: Chinese New Year in NYC is a lively celebration featuring dragon dances, fireworks, and festive decorations. Held in Chinatown.
photo: Alex Veliz / Shutterstock
photo: Alex Veliz / Shutterstock

The best things to do for Lunar New Year (a.k.a. Chinese New Year)

Ring in the Year of the Snake with these fun and colorful cultural events in NYC.

Ian Kumamoto
Advertising

Lunar New Year (or Chinese New Year) is here to lift us up with new beginnings, beautiful art and delicious food. The celebration includes bursting firecrackers, lion dances, and delicious cuisine, including at Chinatown's Chinese New Year Parade, one of the best events in January and February. Don't miss filling your belly with amazing cuisine from one of the best Chinese restaurants in NYC either!

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Lunar New Year in NYC

The best things to do for Lunar New Year

  • Things to do
  • Festivals

The Chinese New Year Parade and Festival is Sunday, February 16, 2025. The parade kicks off at 1pm. This year will be the parade's 27th anniversary. Head to Chinatown for the Lunar New Year Parade, which heads down Mott Street to Chatham Square to East Broadway toward the Manhattan Bridge, completing on Forsyth Street near Grand Street and Sara D. Roosevelt Park.

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Next-gen claw machine arcades are popping all over Chinatown, and they feel like they were pulled straight out of Japan—organized in tightly crammed rows, flashing with neon lights and playing high pitched jingles we can only describe as “extremely kawaii.” The best part? You're actually pretty likely to win a plushie.

Anime Claw, a beloved arcade in Chinatown, is gifting players surprises inside red envelopes if they spend $40 or more in the arcade.

Ian Kumamoto
Ian Kumamoto
Culture Editor
  • Art
  • Art

A massive, 150-foot interactive snake sculpture will live at The Oculus from January 29 through February 12. The sculpture, named Infinite Harmony, will undulate between four and seven feet high as it snakes its way through the main concourse at the Oculus, revealing itself as you walk along it.

Visitors will be able to interact with the sculpture when they scan a QR code, which will allow them to control the movements of an animated overlay of a snake. 

Looking for some grub?

While Manhattan’s Chinese restaurants might be your first thought for dim sum, don’t sleep on Flushing or Sunset Park’s Chinatowns. Many spots order takeout and delivery, if that’s your thing, but we believe that dim sum is one of the few things worth putting on pants for.

Gather a crew to feast on a midday Chinese meal. Here are the best spots for dim sum that NYC has to offer.

New York has a long lineage of Chinese restaurants showcasing the culinary traditions of nearly every province in China, as well as the fusion fare created by immigrants in the United States.

Whether you're looking to sample fiery Szechuan fare or experience a classic weekend dim sum brunch, the city has got you covered. From white-clothed Midtown restaurants to hole-in-the-wall Chinatown restaurants, find the best Chinese restaurant NYC has to offer.

Advertising

No need to stick to one borough—the best dumplings in NYC can be eaten throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Head downtown to get your soup dumpling fix at one of the best Chinatown restaurants in the city. Exploring new neighborhoods? Take the train to Sunset Park for some of the best dim sum outside Hong Kong.

And if you're really on a budget, there are plenty of options for cheap dumplings along the way.

  • Bakeries

New York's Chinatown is packed with amazing dim sum restaurants, fun-loving karaoke bars and top-notch Chinese bakeries offering a dizzying array of pastries. Most are known for one exceptional item, however, whether thats a buttery egg tart, a fluffy sponge cake or a lotus-filled hopia. It doesnt get much sweeter than this.

Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising