This Chinese New Year is an extra special one, so don’t miss out on the celebrations at one of these family-friendly events in the DMV
Get ready for the bunny puns as we hop into the year of the rabbit! The Chinese Lunar New Year—also known as the Spring Festival—kicks off the first day of the lunisolar year and marks the start of the spring season. It’s 15 straight days of celebrations (from new moon to full moon) and is the most important holiday for many East Asian countries. Get ready for celebratory fanfare as families gather to usher out the old year and welcome a new year of fortune and good luck. For those in the market for extra good fortune, the rabbit is considered to be the luckiest of the 12 zodiac signs. But because you can never be too lucky, we’ve rounded up the best Chinese Lunar New Year events in Washington, DC—from traditional dragon dances to eating lucky meals made of “longevity” noodles—for a very hoppy new year. Bonus: these events are all educational, too!
Chinese Lunar New Year Activities for Kids in Washington, DC
Watch the Chinese Lunar New Year Parade in Chinatown
In celebration of the Zodiac's luckiest animal, the rabbit, this parade will be historically the largest to date. Chinese traditions will be on display including lion dance troupes, traditional costume teams, drum teams and more alongside community groups like the Almas Shriners, the Girl Scouts and even the Washington Wizard's dance team. There is a fireworks finale at 3:45 p.m.
Cost: Free
Date: Jan. 22 at 2 p.m.
Chinatown
Online: dcparade.com
Challenge Bookworms with a Zodiac Read-a-Thon
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is celebrating the year of the rabbit all month long with a Zodiac-themed reading challenge. Can you read your way through the Chinese zodiac? Pick a book based on one of the twelve Zodiac signs (tiger, dog, rat, dragon, ox, rabbit, snake, goat, pig, horse, rooster and monkey). Get through all 12 signs and you'll receive a prize!
Cost: Free
Dates: Jan. 4-Jan. 25
21901 G St NW
Gallery Place/Chinatown
Online: dclibrary.libnet
Watch a Lunar New Year Cooking Demo
DC Chefs Danny Lee and Scott Drewno, co-owners of CHIKO and Anju, will share family traditions while demonstrating how to cook traditional holiday dishes at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
Cost: Free
Date: Jan. 21 from 1-2 p.m.
1050 Independence Ave SW
National Mall
Online: si.edu
Explore Chinese and Korean New Year's Traditions at SAAM
Learn about traditions across Chinese and Korean cultures at this annual event featuring performances, hands-on craft projects, an interactive scavenger hunt regional foods and more. A special Lunar New Year menu will be offered in the Courtyard Cafe.
Cost: Free
Date: Jan. 28 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
8th and G St. NW
Gallery Place/Chinatown
Online: si.edu
Chinese Lunar New Year Activities for Kids in Virginia
Celebrate with a Lantern Festival
Buddhist monks were the first to use glowing lanterns in their Lunar celebrations around 50 AD (around the same time it is believed Buddhism arrived in China). To honor Buddha, others adopted this tradition. Today, lanterns represent the symbolic nature of illuminating the future. Stroll through over 10,000 handmade Chinese lanterns at the Winter Lantern Festival in Tysons Corner. In addition to the stunning, larger-than-life lantern displays, there are parent-powered rides, like a steel roller coaster, Instagrammable photo ops on LED swings and live performances.
Cost: $17.99/children; $29.99/adults
Dates: Thurs.-Sun., now-Feb. from 5-1- p.m.
8025 Galleria Dr.
Tysons, VA
Online: winterlanternfestival.com
Get Festive at the Tết Grand Festival
Celebrate the year of the rabbit at the largest Lunar New Year festival in the tai-state area! This annual event at the Dulles Expo Center showcases Vietnamese culture and traditions through exhibits, dance performances, arts and crafts and more.
Cost: $10/adults, $5/children (free under 2)
Dates: Jan. 14 & 15
4320 Chantilly Shopping Center
Chantilly, Virginia
Online: unation.com
Make Lunar New Year Decorations at Oakton Library
Get crafty with Lunar New Year-themed activities at the Oakton Library. Make traditional red envelopes to gift money in, create a money tree to hang the envelopes on and fashion lanterns out of paper. There will also be a traditional lion dance performed by the Taiwan Fun group.
Cost: Free
Date: Jan. 28 at 10:30 a.m.
10304 Lynnhaven Pl.
Oakton, VA
Online: patch.com
Chinese Lunar New Year Activities for Kids in Maryland
Watch Live Performances at Rockville's Free Event
Head to Thomas S. Wootton High School for an educational day of performances, activities and food. Coordinated in partnership with the town, Rockville's Asian Pacific American Taskforce invites the community to celebrate Asian culture during this free annual event.
Cost: Free
Date: Jan 28 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
2100 Wootton Pkwy.
Rockville, MD
Online: rockvillemd.gov/
Spend Lunar Night Celebrating the New Year
If you are looking for a lunar celebration that showcases traditions and customs across many East Asian cultures, check out this all-weekend waterfront festival. The weekend lineup includes Chinese shadow puppets, sugar painting, paper cutting, Chinese watercolor painting, red lantern crafts and more.
Cost: $10-30
Dates: Jan. 21 & 22
West Shore Park
Baltimore, MD
Online: lunar-night.com
Make Art at The Walter Museum
Spend the day at The Walter Museum for free, hands-on fun. In honor of Lunar New Year, the museum is hosting lion dances, live performances, art workshops and more.
Cost: Free
Date: Jan. 22 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
600 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD
Online: thewalters.org
Need some fresh ideas?
Related reads
